Daniella on Design - A Stroll Through Central Park West
Channel: DaniellaOnDesign
Date: 21/06/2013

Theme Music
"Lindiggity" by DJ Come of Age
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/djcomeofage5

Central Park West 

Manhattan is the archetypal cosmopolis. Its character is perfectly represented by the architecture of Central Park West. This boulevard overlooks 840 acres of public grounds and boasts some of the city's finest architecture. Buildings that speak various languages, each one looks different, each brings its own flavor, but together they create a stimulating and fascinating visual fabric. 

At the heart of Central Park West stands a legendary addresses, the Dakota, famous for being the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Built in 1884, when the Upper West Side was nowhere near the heart of Manhattan, the Dakota was designed by Henry Hardenbergh. He intended the Dakota to look, not like an apartment building, but rather like one of the lavish chateaus built along the corridor of the wealthy, Fifth Avenue. The Dakota offered average, middle-class New Yorkers a lifestyle of grand scale, luxury more typical of the other side of the park.

The residential architecture of Central Park West was shaped and energized during the Jazz Age of the 1920's, when New York emerged as the world's first skyscraper city. A construction boom yielded iconic buildings, designed in what was known then as the "modern style." Some of the most compelling twin-towered residences of that period include the Century, the San Remo, the Majestic, and the El Dorado, all demonstrating the impact of German Expressionism on the emergence of the New York skyscraper. Many of these structures are on the "A list" of New York City's Art Deco heritage. 

The latest edition, the limestone-clad 15 Central Park West, is a residential building designed by the current Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, Robert A. Stern. The building was named in Vanity Fair as "the King of Central Park West." It was the subject of a documentary directed by Tom Piper, and an upcoming book by Michael Gross, who calls it the "World's Most Powerful Address." With design that echoes the great apartment houses of the 20s, this luxurious tower speaks the language of New York City. 

Artists and writers have been captivated by the magic of Central Park West. It has been immortalized on the silver screen by filmmakers such as Woody Allen, Rob Reiner, and Ivan Reitman. Take a stroll down Central Park West yourself, and inspiration is sure to follow.