The Langham
Encyclopedia
The Langham is an apartment building in Manhattan
, New York City
, United States
, located along Central Park West
. After the site stood idle for more than 15 years, the building was constructed between 1905 and 1907. Built at a cost of US
$2 million, the structure included modern amenities, such as ice accessible from every apartment. The building was designed in the French Second Empire style by architects Clinton and Russell. It was listed as a contributing property to the federal government designated Central Park West Historic District
in November 1982.
. The family acquired the property during a period from 1880 - 1884 when they acquired numerous properties, including the site of The Dakota. Located at what is now 135 Central Park West, The Langham occupies the blockfront between West 73rd and West 74th Streets. The location remained vacant until the Clark family liquidated it in 1902. At first the property would not sell because they had placed an unusual restriction on it, no building built could exceed the height of The Dakota, which stands across the street. Apparently, the Clarks could not sell the site with the restriction in place as the sale deed from later in 1902 indicated only a standard "restriction on stable
s and billboard
s."
The site was purchased by Abraham Boehm and Lewis Coon but remained vacant until 1904. Architects Clinton and Russell, working for Boehm and Coon, filed plans for a US$2 million building in 1904.
By September 1906 the finishing touches were being applied and The Langham was fully complete and open for rental in 1907. The reporting from The New York Times
lavished praise upon the building when it opened, noting among its modern amenities "real ice
."
When The Langham was completed in 1907, its apartments rented for $500 per month and attracted wealthy and successful tenants early on. Irving Bloomingdale, son of the founder of the famous store
, moved into The Langham from a limestone townhouse when it opened. Isadore Saks moved from the Art Deco Majestic to the Langham with his son Joseph. Martin Beck
, head of the Orpheum Theater chain
, was another prominent early resident. He would go on to establish the Palace Theater
, where Charlie Chaplin
made his American stage debut.
In 2006 the building was put up for sale, a writer for the New York Sun
reported that estimates of the price went as high as $600 million.
to the Central Park West Historic District
when the district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on November 9, 1982. It is also part of the Upper West Side/Central Park West local historic district.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located along Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
. After the site stood idle for more than 15 years, the building was constructed between 1905 and 1907. Built at a cost of US
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$2 million, the structure included modern amenities, such as ice accessible from every apartment. The building was designed in the French Second Empire style by architects Clinton and Russell. It was listed as a contributing property to the federal government designated Central Park West Historic District
Central Park West Historic District
The Central Park West Historic District is located in Manhattan, New York City, United States along historic Central Park West, between 61st and 97th Streets. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1982...
in November 1982.
History
In 1902 the property that The Langham stands on was owned by the same family, the Clarks, who owned the prestigious DakotaThe Dakota
The Dakota, constructed from October 25, 1880 to October 27, 1884, is a co-op apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City...
. The family acquired the property during a period from 1880 - 1884 when they acquired numerous properties, including the site of The Dakota. Located at what is now 135 Central Park West, The Langham occupies the blockfront between West 73rd and West 74th Streets. The location remained vacant until the Clark family liquidated it in 1902. At first the property would not sell because they had placed an unusual restriction on it, no building built could exceed the height of The Dakota, which stands across the street. Apparently, the Clarks could not sell the site with the restriction in place as the sale deed from later in 1902 indicated only a standard "restriction on stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s and billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
s."
The site was purchased by Abraham Boehm and Lewis Coon but remained vacant until 1904. Architects Clinton and Russell, working for Boehm and Coon, filed plans for a US$2 million building in 1904.
By September 1906 the finishing touches were being applied and The Langham was fully complete and open for rental in 1907. The reporting from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
lavished praise upon the building when it opened, noting among its modern amenities "real ice
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
."
"In each iceboxIceboxAn icebox is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common kitchen appliance before the development of safe powered refrigeration devices.- Design :...
is an extra coil of pipe, through which a freezing mixture circulates, so that if a tenant wants a piece of real ice, without going to the trustRobert Anderson Van WyckRobert Anderson Van Wyck, was the first mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of New York in 1898.-Biography:...
for it, all he has to do is fill a small metal pan with water, place it within the coil, and in a few minutes its contents will be frozen solid." (Emphasis original).
When The Langham was completed in 1907, its apartments rented for $500 per month and attracted wealthy and successful tenants early on. Irving Bloomingdale, son of the founder of the famous store
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, moved into The Langham from a limestone townhouse when it opened. Isadore Saks moved from the Art Deco Majestic to the Langham with his son Joseph. Martin Beck
Martin Beck (vaudeville)
Martin Beck was a vaudeville theatre owner who founded Orpheum Circuit, Inc.-Early Life and Career:Martin Beck was born on 31 July, 1868 at Liptovský Mikuláš, a town in northern Slovakia that at the time of his birth was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
, head of the Orpheum Theater chain
Orpheum Circuit, Inc.
Orpheum Circuit, Inc., was a company started by Martin Beck who owned a series of vaudeville theaters and motion picture theaters.- The company :...
, was another prominent early resident. He would go on to establish the Palace Theater
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
, where Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
made his American stage debut.
In 2006 the building was put up for sale, a writer for the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
reported that estimates of the price went as high as $600 million.
Architecture
The building was designed by architects Clinton & Russell, working for Abraham Boehm and Lewis Coon, in the French Second Empire style.Significance
The Langham was listed as a contributing propertyContributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Central Park West Historic District
Central Park West Historic District
The Central Park West Historic District is located in Manhattan, New York City, United States along historic Central Park West, between 61st and 97th Streets. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1982...
when the district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on November 9, 1982. It is also part of the Upper West Side/Central Park West local historic district.
External links
- The Langham Upper West Side Book
- The Langham Emporis.com Profile