For several decades, this was the most prominent tower on the Upper East Side and with its peaked roof, the crown of which is a discrete, working gilded chimney.

It is a major Art Deco landmark.

The 40-story, yellow brick and limestone building was completed in 1930 and 187 of its units were converted to cooperative apartments in 1970. Its residents have included famous automobile magnates and oil company executives and the hotel's guests have included President John F. Kennedy.

Over the years, the tower has been modified somewhat to accommodate the desires of some residents for large picture or bay windows with the result that it is appearance is most irregular, but not marred and in fact quite interesting.

The building was designed by Bien & Prince and actually consists of two buildings occupying the entire blockfront on Madison Avenue between 76th and 77th Streets that are so skillfully joined that most people are not aware that they are separate.

The "hotel" is the tower on the south side of the frontage and the second building is a 17-story apartment house with an entrance at 50 East 77th Street that appears to be part of the base of the setback "hotel" tower.

"The Carlyle's tower, said to be inspired by John Francis Bentley's Byzantine-style Westminister Cathedral in London, although Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue's more abstract integrations of Roman and Byzantine sources seem more clearly evident as an influence, became the symbolic campanile...