Hotel des Artistes

Hotel des Artistes is a historic residential building located at 1 West 67th Street in New York City near the west side of Central Park.[1] 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.[2]

Hotel des Artistes
General information
LocationNew York City, New York, USA
Address1 West 67th Street
Design and construction
ArchitectGeorge Mort Pollard

History

In 1914, a group of artists—including Walter Russell, Frank DuMond, Willard Metcalf, and Penrhyn Stanlaws[3][4][5]—paid $250,000 to buy a parcel of land on the west side of Central Park with the plans of building Hotel des Artistes.[6][7] 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.[6]

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.[5] 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.[8] The building is also noted for its pastoral floor-to-ceiling paintings by Howard Chandler Christy, one of its earliest residents.[9]

In 1971, the building transformed into a full co-operative after a new owner purchased it. Several longtime tenants were evicted after a lengthy court battle.[10]

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.[11] In 2011, it reopened under new management as the Leopard at des Artistes.[11]

Noteworthy former residents

Appearances in film and TV
  • 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.[15]

References
  1. "Books and Things". The Victoria Advocate. 2 Nov 1958. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  2. "Fab West Triplex Just Isn't Good Enough for Babs". Daily News. 15 Jun 1995. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  3. "Russell Heads Artists". The Sun. 25 Dec 1914. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  4. "Plan Hotel des Artistes Solely for Illustrators". The Washington Times. 10 Feb 1915. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  5. "Model Apartments for Artists on West Side". The New York Times. 28 Mar 1915. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  6. "Hotel des Artistes to Go Up". The Sun. 24 Dec 1914. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  7. "Art Pays the Artists". The Los Angeles Times. 24 Dec 1914. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  8. "A Little Romance". Dayton Daily News. 23 Jan 1985. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  9. "Upper West Side". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 30 Mar 1997. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  10. "Portrait Painter Evicted from Apartment Studio". Daily Press. 10 Feb 1977. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  11. "George Lang, 86, Violinist Turned Restaurateur". The Boston Globe. 11 Jul 2011. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  12. "The lost, wild world of Caresse Crosby, notorious queen of 1920s Paris society". the Guardian. 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  13. "Novelist Fannie Hurst Dies". Bennington Banner. 24 Feb 1968. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  14. "NY Ghosts "Aggressive"". Press and Sun-Bulletin. 31 Oct 1996. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  15. "Coburn Film to Play Here at Last". The Atlanta Constitution. 17 Apr 1977. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
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