This 21-story building at 111 East 56th Street was erected as the Lombardy Hotel in 1927 by Henry Mandel, the developer of London Terrace in Chelsea and the ornate apartment building at 898 Park Avenue and the Parc Vendome apartment complex on West 57th Street and the Pershing Square Building on the southeast corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street.

Mr. Mandel also built the Tuscany Hotel at 120 East 39th Street.

This beige-brick building has a three-story limestone base with gargoyles and a very dramatic and unusual arched entrance with a large heated canopy and sidewalk landscaping.

The building has a paneled vestibule with curved corners that leads to a five-step-down, large lobby.

The building has a doorman and a concierge but no garage and no roofdeck. It has several terraces and the east and west sides of its tall watertank enclosure has very attractive hatched masonry.

The building has 176 units and was converted to a cooperative in 1956.

For many years, the building housed Laurent, one of the city's largest and most popular fancy French restaurants. It was operated for 40 years until 1991 by Laurent Losa.