(View north of Park Avenue with Candela's pinnacling 770 and 778 Park Avenue in the center (via Compass)
If you are one of the many admirers of New York City's pre-war residential buildings, chances are you count those designed by Rosario Candela among your favorites. As architecture critic Carter Horsley puts it, “These buildings reek with good taste, better proportions, lavish expanses of limestone on the exterior, and considerable square footage inside the apartments.”
Born in Sicily, Candela came to the United States in 1909 and graduated from the Columbia School of Architecture in 1915. He is widely considered to have been the country's greatest designer of luxury apartment buildings and he collaborated with many of the city's most famous architectural firms such as Warren and Wetmore, the designer of Grand Central Terminal. With a career of built work spanning five decades and more than 50 luxury apartment buildings in Manhattan alone, he was best known for his mastery of interior layouts, which often featured grand foyers, dramatic curving staircases in duplex units, and impressive public rooms. Other thoughtful details included perfectly spaced windows, and thick inner walls to conceal bumps from plumbing, beams, and columns.
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At the height of the Jazz Age in the 1920s, his elegant buildings of set-back terraces elegantly adapted to the city's 1916 zoning resolution, and were judiciously decorated in Neo-Georgian and Art Deco ornamentation that gave most of his buildings a quiet and understated appearance. However, it was his gracious formal interiors that helped transform Fifth Avenue, Park Avenue, and Sutton Place into the sought-after apartment addresses that they are today. Coaxing wealthy New Yorkers to surrender their mansions for apartment living wasn't easy, and he used tantalizing marketing tactics to persuade them to give up their private houses and move into these palatial residences.
Entry arcade at One Sutton Place South (Brown Harris Stevens)
"You know you've arrived when you get into a Candela building" - Donald Albrecht, curator, Museum of the City of New York
Zoning laws required Candela to create the romantic rooftop setbacks that came to define classic New York City architecture. Notable interior architecture features include thoughtfully designed floor plates, spacious and carefully placed rooms,
Nearly a century later, the words "Rosario Candela-designed" add instant cachet to any real estate listing. In 2018, the Museum of the City of New York honored his work with the "Elegance in the Sky" exhibition, and many buildings have been designated New York City landmarks.
Below, see some of Candela's most elegant New York City buildings and their relatively few availabilities. The vast majority of his buildings are co-ops with selective boards, meaning not only money guarantees you access into the most prestigious addresses.
Below, see some of Candela's most elegant New York City buildings and their relatively few availabilities. The vast majority of his buildings are co-ops with selective boards, meaning not only money guarantees you access into the most prestigious addresses.
Upper East Side | Completed in 1931
Cooperative | 16 stories | 24 units
834 Fifth Avenue via Wurts Bros. Museum of the City of New York, Wurts Bros. Collection, gift of Richard Wurts
Living room
Sitting room
Gallery
834 Fifth Avenue is considered Fifth Avenue's premier and most pedigreed buildings. It is located directly across from the Central Park Zoo, and residents seeking a less crowded outdoor escape have access to a private courtyard garden. The 16-story, 24-unit layout allows for extremely spacious residences, many of which are duplexes and triplexes. They feature high ceilings, long galleries, dramatic staircases, oversized windows, and wood-burning fireplaces. Residents have included Rupert Murdoch, Elizabeth Arden, Charles Schwab, and descendants of John D. Rockefeller.
Upper East Side | Completed in 1927
Cooperative | 15 stories | 19 units
960 Fifth Avenue via The Museum of the City of New York
In 1926, the Clark mansion came down for what is now one of the most prestigious addresses and selective co-ops in New York. Its glassed-in rooftop and cast-iron marquee convey luxury from the outside. Inside, prominent decorator Dorothy Draper was a consultant on the project. In the apartments, signature Candela touches like diverse layouts, towering ceilings, and fireplaces in common rooms can be seen.
Its premier amenity is the Georgian Suite, a lavish restaurant open to only to residents, the likes of whom have included Edgar Bronfman Sr., Sister Parish, and Nassef Sawiris.
Upper East Side | Completed in 1928
Cooperative | 17 stories | 29 units
720 Park Avenue via CityRealty
Designed by Rosario Candela in collaboration with Cross & Cross, this full-block, Neo-Georgian building is one of the city's most exclusive co-ops. The interiors have been renovated to accommodate modern needs, but details like high ceilings, fireplaces, beautiful moldings, spacious rooms, and winding staircases remain intact. Previous residents have included Macy's heir Jesse Isidor Strauss, prominent banker William E. Iselin, and Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio.
720 Park Avenue, #PH13A
$18,000,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths
720 Park Avenue, #PH13A (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Upper East Side | Completed in 1930
Cooperative | 19 stories | 31 units
740 Park Avenue's elegant limestone facade and polished granite entrance set the tone for one of the city's most prestigious addresses. Past residents have included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John D. Rockefeller Jr., William Lie Zeckendorf, David Koch, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Today, its reputation as a "Tower of Power" continues to draw leaders in all industries.
740 Park Avenue, #2/3D
$25,000,000 (-12.3%)
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 6+ Baths
740 Park Avenue, #2/3D (Sothebys International Realty)
Upper East Side | Completed in 1930
Cooperative | 19 stories | 41 units
770 Park Avenue via Douglas Elliman
No detail is overlooked at the Georgian-style 770 Park Avenue. The original duplex units feature grand proportions, herringbone floors, exquisite molding, soaring ceilings, Palladian arches, sweeping staircases, long entry halls, spacious rooms, and wood-burning fireplaces. Central Park, Museum Mile, and high-end Madison Avenue shopping are a short walk away.
The Sonora, #2C (Corcoran Group)
The Sonora, #8D (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
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Upper East Side | Completed in 1931
Cooperative | 18 stories | 18 units
View of 778 Park Avenue from 770 Park via Sotheby's
778 Park Avenue is one of the few prewar Park Avenue buildings to rise over 15 stories and one of Candela's most celebrated buildings. Full-floor residences feature gracious entries, impressively proportioned rooms, high ceilings, hardwood floors, multiple exposures, and wood-burning fireplaces. Notable past residents have included Brooke Astor, Roone Artledge, and Vera Wang.
778 Park Avenue via Sotheby's
Interiors via Sotheby's International Realty
Beekman/Sutton Place | Completed in 1926
Cooperative | 14 stories | 46 units
1 Sutton Place South via Brown Harris Stevens
One of Candela's most celebrated co-ops, 1 Sutton Place South has Renaissance details, a private garden facing the East River, and an elegant triple-arched entrance driveway that opens to the lobby. The expansive apartments convey a sense of refined living and grand-scale entertaining. The building was originally designed for the Phipps family, and other notable residents have included Bill Blass and Janet Annenberg Hooker.
One Sutton Place South, #GRC
$6,750,000 (-10%)
Beekman/Sutton Place | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 3,000 ft2
One Sutton Place South, #GRC (Corcoran Group)
One Sutton Place South, #2C
$7,500,000 (-11.8%)
Beekman/Sutton Place | Cooperative | 6+ Bedrooms, 4 Baths | 5,405 ft2
One Sutton Place South, #2C (Sothebys International Realty)
Carnegie Hill | Completed in 1930
Cooperative | 14 stories | 26 units
133 East 80th Street via Wiki Commons
The brown brick facade, gargoyles, battlements, and rooftop water tank enclosure set 133 East 80th Street apart as one of the most eye-catching on the Upper East Side. Large windows fill the spacious, classic apartments with light. It's no surprise that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
133 East 80th Street, #3A (Compass)
133 East 80th Street, #12FL
$10,995,000
Carnegie Hill | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 5 Baths | 4,500 ft2
133 East 80th Street, #12FL (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Upper East Side | Completed in 1937
Cooperative | 17 stories | 40 units
19 East 72nd Street was erected on the former site of the townhouse of Charles Tiffany and Louis Comfort Tiffany. The new building is clad entirely in limestone, which would make it luxurious enough on its own. However, the magnificent, sinuous, very graceful and subtle arcs of the base’s curves are superbly proportioned and soften what would otherwise be the traditionally hard edges of the building. While some of the apartments inside have undergone renovations, they have kept the grandeur and details that made and keep it highly coveted.
All images of 19 East 72nd Street via Brown Harris Stevens
19 East 72nd Street, #78C (Sothebys International Realty)
19 East 72nd Street, #910CD
$16,650,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 6+ Bedrooms, 6+ Baths
19 East 72nd Street, #910CD (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Upper East Side | Completed in 1928
Cooperative | 15 stories | 14 units
All images of 2 East 67th Street via Sotheby's
While this Italian Renaissance palazzo-inspired co-op is located near some of the city's premier designer shopping, an apartment in this building is as coveted as anything in a Madison Avenue boutique, and even more exclusive. There are only 15 apartments, which feature 11-foot ceilings, fireplaces, impeccable details, and beautiful views of Central Park. Previous residents have included Leonard Lauder, Jonathan Tisch, Arthur Carter, and Charles Allen, Jr.
2 East 67th Street, #9thFloor
$44,500,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 6+ Baths
2 East 67th Street, #9thFloor (Sothebys International Realty)
Notable Listings in Rosario Candela Buildings
360 Central Park West, #6B (Argo Residential)
285 Riverside Drive, #5B
$1,750,000 (-12.3%)
Riverside Dr./West End Ave. | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths
285 Riverside Drive, #5B (Compass)
1 Gracie Square, #11 (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
30 Sutton Place, #14B (Compass)
44 East 67th Street, #5C
$2,595,000
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 1,380 ft2
44 East 67th Street, #5C (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
40 West 67th Street, #5AB (Corcoran Group)
4 Sutton Place, #67 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Stanhope, #11N (Sothebys International Realty)
447 East 57th Street, #15AB (Sothebys International Realty)
One Sutton Place South, #PH
$26,000,000
Beekman/Sutton Place | Cooperative | 4 Bedrooms, 6+ Baths | 6,600 ft2
One Sutton Place South, #PH (Sothebys International Realty)
990 Fifth Avenue, #6/7 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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