Hotel des Artistes
Building in Manhattan, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hotel des Artistes is a historic residential building located at 1 West 67th Street, near Central Park West, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.[3] Completed in 1917, the ornate 17-story, 119-unit Gothic-style building has been home to a long list of writers, artists, and politicians over the years.[4] It is a contributing property to the West 67th Street Artists' Colony Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
| Hotel des Artistes | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of the Hotel des Artistes area | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1 West 67th Street, New York City, New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | George Mort Pollard |
Hotel des Artistes | |
| Location | Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°46′25″N 73°58′44″W |
| Part of | West 67th Street Artists' Colony Historic District[1] (ID85001522[2]) |
| Added to NRHP | July 11, 1985[2] |
History
In 1914, a group of artists—including Walter Russell, Frank DuMond, Willard Metcalf, and Penrhyn Stanlaws[5][6][7]—paid $250,000 to buy a parcel of land on the west side of Central Park with the plans of building Hotel des Artistes.[8][9] At the outset, they planned to erect a 20-story building where 10 stories would be dedicated to artists' studio space and the other 10 would be dedicated to apartments.[8]
Designed by George Mort Pollard, when it opened in 1917, the Hotel des Artistes boasted a large swimming pool, grand ballrooms, rooftop squash courts, a gym, and a restaurant.[7] Apartments had as many as six rooms apiece, and many of the units featured 20-foot lofted ceilings. Kitchens were small, as tenants were able to use their dumbwaiters to receive meals prepared in a kitchen on the second floor.[10] The building is also noted for its pastoral floor-to-ceiling paintings by Howard Chandler Christy, one of its earliest residents.[11]
In 1970, the building transformed into a full co-operative after a new owner purchased it. Several longtime tenants were evicted after a lengthy court battle.[12]
In 1975, violinist turned restaurateur George Lang took over the run-down ground-floor cafe and renovated it, bringing in new diners. Lang and his wife Gloria ran Cafe des Artistes until 2009, when they decided to close it during the recession.[13] In 2011, it reopened under new management as the Leopard at des Artistes.[13] The Leopard closed in 2026 due to significant rent increases for its space.[14]
Notable residents
- Earnest Andersson, who had developed the concept of the Hotel des Artistes, and owned several apartments therein[15]
- Rolf Armstrong
- Peter Benchley
- Howard Chandler Christy
- Noël Coward
- Harry Crosby, writer and nephew of J.P. Morgan, killed himself and his mistress, Josephine Bigelow, in the building in 1929.[16]
- Charles Dana Gibson
- Frank DuMond
- Isadora Duncan[4]
- Dean Fausett
- Edna Ferber
- Peter Gelb[17]
- Joel Grey
- Elizabeth Hardwick, writer[18]
- Fannie Hurst,[3] novelist, died in her apartment in the building in 1968.[19]
- Ellsworth Kelly
- John Lindsay
- Peter Martins
- Willard Metcalf
- James Montgomery Flagg
- Alla Nazimova
- LeRoy Neiman
- Mike Nichols
- Gary Oldman
- Jean Pigozzi
- Alice Pike Barney
- Zasu Pitts
- Norman Rockwell[4]
- Walter Russell
- Gloria Schiff
- Penrhyn Stanlaws
- Richard Thomas
- Rudolph Valentino[20]
- Margaret Widdemer
- Alexander Woollcott
In popular culture
- Audrey Rose (1977): Hotel des Artistes plays a prominent role in the supernatural drama Audrey Rose. The film's set designers re-created one of the building's apartments on a sound stage in Hollywood.[21]