The Niagara, 1060 Park Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 1060 Park Avenue by Carter Horsley

This attractive, red-brick apartment tower at 1060 Park Avenue on the northwest corner at 86^th Street was completed in 1924 and is one of the more modest designs by J. E. R. Carpenter, the leading architect of Park Avenue buildings of his era.

Carpenter's other buildings on the avenue include 550, 580, 610, 625, 630, 635, 640, 812, 950 and 960. His other buildings include 907 Fifth Avenue and the Lincoln Building at 60 East 42nd Street.

"Carpenter is credited with the introduction of the zoned apartment plan - an innovation that eliminated long winding halls by grouping rooms for entertaining on one side and bedrooms on the other side on an entrance hall or gallery. By 1919 he was the paramount authority in the field," noted Robert A. M. Stern, Gregory Gilmartin and Thomas Mellins in their book, "New York 1930, Architecture and Urbanism Between The Two World Wars," (Rizzoli International Publications, 1987).

This 89-unit building was converted to a co-operative in 1974. It originally had 92 apartments.

Bottom Line

A nice, pre-war building designed by J. E. R. Carpenter is convenient to the many attractions of Carnegie Hill.

Description

According to “Carnegie Hill Architectural Guide” published by Carnegie Hill Neighbors, “the grand entrance to this otherwise relatively modest J. E. R. Carpenter apartment house is on 87^th Street,” adding that “wood double doors with wrought-iron-and-glass inserts are flanked by carved stone panels.”

“Paired foliate brackets support a cornice forming a narrow balcony.  Above a carved panel is centered between windows framed with pilasters and capped with a rosette-accented entablature.  Second-story windows are fronted with iron balconettes and topped with terra-cotta lintels embellished with urns and garlands.  The ground level of the 14-story building is clad in smooth limestone.  The remainder is red brick; few details distract from the impression of a solid mass.  Brick quoins define the corners.  Bricks laid vertically form bands between paired floors above the fourth story; more decorative brickwork can be seen in squares between the third- and thirteenth-story windows.  Below the crown section is a large stone cornice.”

Amenities

The building has a doorman and allows pets.

Apartments

Apartment 9D is a two-bedroom unit that has a 13-foot-wide “dining foyer” that leads to a 19-foot-long living room with a decorative fireplace in one direction and a 10-foot-long enclosed kitchen in the other.

Apartment 14C is a one-bedroom unit that has an entry foyer that turns into a 19-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a 13-foot-wide dining room next to a 10-foot-long kitchen and a 15-foot-long maid’s room.

Apartment 13F is a two-bedroom unit that has a 32-foot-long living/dining room with a fireplace next to a 16-foot-long eat-in kitchen.

Apartment 7F is a two-bedroom unit that has a 27-foot-long living/dining room with a wood-burning fireplace next to a 16-foot-long kitchen.

History

According to an August 5, 2011 article in The New York Times by Jan Hoffman, Truman Capote lived with his mother in this building in 1952 and “a young worshipper from Pittsburgh, Andy Warhol, could be spotted, standing outside.”

In his book, "Park Avenue, Street of Dreams," (Atheneum, 1990), James Trager wrote that this building "originally had an on-premise restaurant, the Maison de Lion, and offered housekeeping apartments from three rooms and a bath to six rooms and a bath." The restaurant was converted to medical offices.