1100 Park Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 1100 Park Avenue by Carter Horsley

One of the most interesting buildings on Park Avenue, this 18-story structure at 1100 Park Avenue on the northwest corner at 89^th Street was designed by DePace & Juster for Samuel Silver in an eclectic style that incorporates many Venetian- and Romanesque-style ornaments.

The building was erected in 1930 and was converted to a co-operative in 1955.

It has 80 large apartments.

Bottom Line

Looking a bit like an Old Master’s palette with drips of yellow here and blobs of brown there, this elegant pre-war apartment building is one of the enchanting and eclectic grand dames of Park Avenue in Carnegie Hill.

Description

The three-story base of the building is covered in a warm, pink granite and a ruddy sandstone and the rest of the building has a dark brown masonry façade that has an unusual, delicate and simple design pattern that divides the façade into bays.

According to “Carnegie Hill Architectural Guide” published by Carnegie Hill Neighbors, “three double-story flattened arches with composite-style capitals and dentils announce the entrance, which is guarded by gargoyles.” 

“Within the larger arches, decorative wreaths separate pairs of multi-paned windows; the upper windows are also round-arched.  More arches are visible immediately above the entrance. At the third story, foliate brackets support two balconies with arched balustrades. Topping the base section is a cornice with Gothic arches and carved shells; an abstract rope detail accents the corners.”

“The brickwork is also curious: individual bricks project erratically, and brick headers flank many of the windows. At the fourteenth and fifteenth stories are double-height, triple-arched window surrounds, echoed at the watertank enclosure. Another Gothic arched cornice tops the seventeenth story. Carved stonewood wraps around the building corners.”

The building's façades are punctuated by several terra cotta ornamental balconies and cornices with pointed arch designs.

Some recent restoration near the top was done with a lighter color brick.

Amenities

The building has a full-time doorman, a gym and storage.

Apartments

Apartment 17D is a three-bedroom unit with a 22-foot-wide gallery that leads to a 23-foot-long living room and a 21-foot-long enclosed, windowed dining room next to an eat-in, 17-foot-long kitchen.

Apartment 16B is a three-bedroom unit that a 14-foot-long entrance gallery that leads to a 26-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a 20-foot-long dining room that is next to a 16-foot-long pantry and a 17-foot-long kitchen.

Apartment 15C is a two-bedroom unit that has a 30-foot-long entrance hall that leads to a 29-foot-long living room and a 15-foot-long windowed dining room next to a 14-foot-long eat-in kitchen and an 11-foot-long study.  The unit also has a 9-foot-long media/playroom.

Apartment 5A is a three-bedroom unit with a 22-foot-long entrance gallery that leads to a 31-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a 23-foot-long dining room next to a 15-foot-long pantry and a 21-foot-long kitchen with a breakfast area and three maids’ rooms. The apartment also has an 18-foot-long library with a fireplace in a hall off the gallery.

Apartment 14C is a two-bedroom unit with a 20-foot-long entrance gallery that leads to a 30-foot-long living room with a wood-burning fireplace and a 20-foot-long dining room next to a large pantry and kitchen and staff room.

History

In 1942, Prince and Princess Francis Windisch-Graetz leased an apartment in the building. The Prince was a great-grandson of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria-Hungary.

Another former resident was Marne Obernauer Jr., an owner of the Colorado Rockies baseball team and chairman of Beverage Distributors Corporation.

Location

It is located in the heart of the Carnegie Hill neighborhood and is down the block from the very attractive St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church. Other religious buildings are nearby as are many charming restaurants, major museums and many public schools.

The area has excellent public transportation with frequent cross-town bus service on 86th Street and an express subway station at Lexington Avenue and 86th Street. A large supermarket is two blocks away on Madison Avenue and an excellent food store is two blocks away on Lexington Avenue near a major Barnes & Noble bookstore, an HMV music store and several movie theaters.