Features
(clockwise from left) 133 East 80th Street, 834 Fifth Avenue living room, and 740 Park Avenue staircase (CityRealty
If you admire New York's prewar buildings, chances are you count those designed by Rosario Candela among your favorites. As architecture critic Carter Horsley puts it, “These buildings reek with good taste, better proportions, lavish expanses of limestone on the exterior and considerable square footage inside the apartments.” At the height of the Jazz Age, his designs with set-back terraces, Neo-Georgian and Art Deco ornamentation, and formal interiors transformed Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, and Sutton Place. Upon completion, he used tantalizing marketing to persuade wealthy New Yorkers to give up their private homes and move into these grand apartments.
Nearly a century later, the words "Rosario Candela-designed" add instant cachet to any real estate listing, and the Museum of the City of New York is preparing an exhibit to honor his work. Starting May 17, "Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela" will use photographs, graphics, domestic furnishings, and digital animation to show how his designs inspired New Yorkers and transformed the cityscape. Until then, take a look at our favorite Rosario Candela buildings. There are a few availabilities, but money is no guarantee - these buildings have a reputation of being some of the most expensive and selective in the city.
Nearly a century later, the words "Rosario Candela-designed" add instant cachet to any real estate listing, and the Museum of the City of New York is preparing an exhibit to honor his work. Starting May 17, "Elegance in the Sky: The Architecture of Rosario Candela" will use photographs, graphics, domestic furnishings, and digital animation to show how his designs inspired New Yorkers and transformed the cityscape. Until then, take a look at our favorite Rosario Candela buildings. There are a few availabilities, but money is no guarantee - these buildings have a reputation of being some of the most expensive and selective in the city.
1. 834 Fifth Avenue
834 Fifth Avenue via CityRealty
Living room
Sitting room
Gallery
834 Fifth Avenue is considered Fifth Avenue's premier and most pedigreed buildings. The 16-story, 24-unit layout allows for extremely spacious residences, many of which are duplexes and triplexes. They feature high ceilings, long galleries, dramatic staircases, and oversized windows. Residents have included Rupert Murdoch, Elizabeth Arden, and Charles Schwab.
Floor plan via Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
2. 960 Fifth Avenue
All images of 960 Fifth Avenue via Brown Harris Stevens
Living room
Bedroom
In 1926, the Clark mansion came down for what is now one of the most prestigious addresses and selective co-ops in New York. Its glassed-in rooftop and cast-iron marquee convey luxury from the outside. Signature Candela touches like diverse layouts, towering ceilings, and fireplaces in common rooms can be seen in the apartments. Its premier amenity is the Georgian Suite, a lavish, residents-only restaurant.
Floor plan via Brown Harris Stevens
3. 720 Park Avenue
All images of 720 Park Avenue via Sotheby's
Living room
Gallery
Dining room
The full-block, Neo-Georgian 720 Park Avenue is one of the city's most exclusive co-ops. The interiors have been renovated to accommodate modern needs, but details like high ceilings, fireplaces, beautiful moldings, spacious rooms, and winding staircases remain intact.
Floor plan via Sotheby's
4. 740 Park Avenue
All images of 740 Park Avenue via Compass
Library
Foyer
Bath
740 Park Avenue's elegant limestone facade and polished granite entrance set the tone for one of the city's most prestigious addresses. Past residents have included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John D. Rockefeller Jr., and William Lie Zeckendorf. Today, it attracts leaders in all industries and is known as one of New York's "Towers of Power."
5. 770 Park Avenue
All images of 770 Park Avenue via Douglas Elliman
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Dining room
Bedroom
No detail is overlooked at the Georgian-style 770 Park Avenue. All duplex units feature grand proportions, herringbone floors, exquisite molding, soaring ceilings, Palladian arches, sweeping staircases, long entry halls, spacious rooms, and wood-burning fireplaces.
Floor plan via Douglas Elliman
6. 778 Park Avenue
778 Park Avenue via Warburg Realty
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Dining room
Bedroom
778 Park Avenue is one of the few prewar Park Avenue buildings to rise over 15 stories and one of Candela's most celebrated buildings. Residences feature gracious entries, impressively proportioned rooms, high ceilings, hardwood floors, multiple exposures, and wood-burning fireplaces.
Floor plan via Warburg Realty
7. 1 Sutton Place South
1 Sutton Place South via CityRealty
All interiors via Key-Ventures
Gallery
One of Candela's most celebrated co-ops, 1 Sutton Place South has Renaissance details, a private garden facing the East River, and an elegant triple-arched entrance driveway that opens to the lobby. The expansive apartments convey a sense of refined living and grand-scale entertaining.
8. 133 East 80th Street
All images of 133 East 80th Street via Corcoran
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Dining room
The brown brick facade, gargoyles, battlements, and rooftop water tank enclosure set this building apart as one of the most eye-catching on the Upper East Side. Large windows fill the spacious, classic apartments with light. It's no surprise that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
9. 19 East 72nd Street
All images of 19 East 72nd Street via Brown Harris Stevens
Living room
Study
Bedroom
19 East 72nd Street is clad entirely in limestone, which would make it luxurious enough on its own. However, the magnificent, sinuous, very graceful and subtle arcs of the base’s curves are superbly proportioned and soften what would otherwise be the traditionally hard edges of the building. While some of the apartments inside have undergone renovations, they have kept the grandeur and details that made and keep it highly coveted.
10. 2 East 67th Street
All images of 2 East 67th Street via Sotheby's
Living room
Gallery
Dining room
While this Italian Renaissance palazzo-inspired co-op is located near some of the city's premier designer shopping, an apartment in this building is as coveted as anything in a Madison Avenue boutique, and even more exclusive. There are only 15 apartments, which feature 11-foot ceilings, fireplaces, impeccable details, and beautiful views of Central Park.
Content Specialist
Michelle Mazzarella
Michelle is a contributing writer and editor for real estate news in New York City
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