65 Central Park West: Review and Ratings

Review of 65 Central Park West by Carter Horsley

This handsome and sedate, 16-story apartment building at 65 Central Park West on the north corner at 66^th Street was erected in 1926 and designed by Emery Roth for the estate of George B. Leonard, whose son, Thomas Dimock Leonard, was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Club, the Union Club, and the Racquet & Tennis Club. 

It was converted to a co-operative in 1987 with 107 apartments. 

One of its residents, Ruth Orkin, became famous for her photographs from her 15th floor apartment in the building.  Other residents included Madonna, the singer, and Polly Adler, whom The New York Times described in an July 11, 1936 article about her arrest in a sixth floor apartment in the building as a “procurer” and whom the article said was described by Police Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine as “an alleged disorderly housekeeper.”

 Although it is a block north of the 65th Street park transverse road and a block south of the entrance to the former Tavern-on-the-Green restaurant, it is in the midst of considerable traffic, but its location also offers proximity to the Lincoln Center district, one of the city's most desirable because of both the cultural facilities and the area's extensive prime retail. 

Bottom Line

A large apartment building at a prime Central Park West location close to the Lincoln Center for The Performing Arts.

Description

The building has a three-and-a-half-story stone base, the bottom two floors of which are rusticated, and a masonry façade with finials along its top terrace. 

It is faced with light-brown bricks and terracotta detailing. There are some two-story window surrounds with foliation, medallions, a cherub and balustrades. 

According to the hausfitzgerald.com website, "at the third-level, situated above the grand entrance, a window surround enriched with finials atop a balustrated railing and a broken swan-neck pediment with decoration in the tympanum adds a classical flair to the structure." 

The roof line has several slightly curved decorative elements. 

The building has a canopied entrance with an elaborate stone surround and sidewalk landscaping. 

Amenities

The building has a doorman, an entrance marquee, and some balconies, but inconsistent fenestration, no sundeck, no garage and no health club.

Apartments

Apartment 10A is a two-bedroom unit with a 19-foot-long entry foyer, a 21-foot-long living room, a 13-foot-long dining area with an open kitchen and an 11-foot-wide den. 

Apartment 8B is a two-bedroom unit with a 19-foot-long entrance gallery that leads to a 23-foot-long living room with a fireplace, a 20-foot-long dining room next to an enclosed and windowed, 20-foot-wide kitchen and a 9-foot-long home office. 

Apartment 12D is a two-bedroom unit with a 13-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 23-foot-long living room and a 17-foot-long dining room next to the 13-foot-wide, windowed kitchen. 

Apartment 11B is a two-bedroom unit with a 19-foot-wide entrance gallery that leads to a 22-foot-long living room with a fireplace, a 19-foot-long dining room with a fireplace, a 12-foot-wide kitchen with a 7-foot-long pantry and a 8-foot-long maid’s room. 

Apartment 9A is a two-bedroom unit with an 11-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 23-foot-long living room and a 12-foot-long dining area with an open kitchen.