Ritz Tower

The Ritz Tower is a 42–story luxury residential building at 465 Park Avenue on the corner of East 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was as built from 1925 to 1927 as an apartment hotel and was designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings for journalist Arthur Brisbane, who was the developer. At the time of construction, it was the tallest residential building in New York City.

The Ritz Tower
General information
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts / Historism
Address465 Park Avenue
Town or cityManhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′41″N 73°58′16″W
Construction started1925
Completed1927
OpeningOctober 15, 1926
Height541 feet (165 m)
Technical details
Floor count42[1]
Design and construction
ArchitectEmery Roth
Thomas Hastings
DeveloperArthur Brisbane
Website
Official website

On October 29, 2002, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Ritz Tower as a New York City landmark.[2]

History

The Ritz Tower was built from 1925 to 1927 and was designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings, formerly of Carrère and Hastings, for journalist Arthur Brisbane, who was also the developer. It was built as an apartment hotel, with no individual kitchens in any of the 400 units; food was provided by centralized kitchens using dumbwaiters to pantries on each floor. Since apartment hotels were not subject to the same height restrictions as residential apartment buildings, the developer was able to build taller than would otherwise have been allowed. Brisbane contracted with the Ritz-Carlton Company to manage the building and the restaurants in it, which included Le Pavillon, one of the first authentic French restaurants in the U.S.[2]

When it was built, the Ritz Tower was the tallest residential building in New York City. Its classically-inspired design features numerous setbacks with pilasters, pediments and balustrades, and large stone flèches direct the viewer's eye up the building. The lower floors are highly ornamented, featuring sculpted putti, urns, and rusticated stone. The top of the tower has a pyramidal roof with a tall obelisk. The interior of the building utilizes rich material, such as wood paneled walls and parquet floors, all part of Brisbane's desire to make the Ritz Tower the most sought-after apartment hotel in the city.[2]

The 19th and 20th floors of the building were taken up by an 18-room duplex apartment designed in 1927 by Thomas Hastings for Arthur Brisbane, the owner of the building.[1]

Notable residents

The building opened on October 15, 1926. Over the years it has housed such tenants as actresses Greta Garbo, Kitty Carlisle, Paulette Goddard, Arlene Francis and her husband, actor Martin Gabel, Deborah Kerr; William Randolph Hearst Jr., the son of the publisher; music producer Clive Davis; radio comedian Goodman Ace; English author Elinor Glyn; TV producer Norman Lear, the creator of All in the Family; playwright Neil Simon and his wife actress Marsha Mason; and William Hays, the head of the "Hays Office" which censored Hollywood movies; among many others.[2]

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gollark: The alternative to basing things on science, I mean. The obvious alternative seems to basically just be guessing?
gollark: What's the alternative? Science is at least *slightly* empirical and right. Also, the video is wrong.
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See also

References
  1. White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot & Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7. p. 322
  2. Kurshan, Virginia (October 29, 2002) "Ritz Tower Designation Report" New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
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