Carter's Review

In 2013, the Elad Group converted the rather dreary, midblock, 21-unit rental apartment building at 22 Central Park South into a very handsome, 7-unit condominium apartment building.

The 8-story building is just to the west of The Plaza Hotel where Elad had previously converted some of the legendary hotel’s rooms to condominium apartments. Elad’s other conversions have included the O’Neil Building on the Avenue of the Americas and 250 West Street.

This building was erected in 1897 and was modified and enlarged in 1909.

For many years, the building had a fire-escape on its narrow façade but it was removed in the conversion, which gave it a new Indiana limestone façade and a handsome new subway entrance.

An article in City Land of the New York Law School noted that David West of Goldstein Hill and West Architects who handled the conversion said that the plan was to create a “well-proportioned, tasteful building that respects its comrades.”

Bottom Line

Only seven apartments with a doorman just a few steps from the elegant epicenter of the city and across from Central Park.

Description

The conversion removed the fire escape and replaced the windows and moved the building’s entrance. It also lined the subway entrance with limestone and added a set-back floor addition.

The façade has attractive Juliet balconies.

Amenities

The building has a doorman and concierge service and residents can access health and beauty services at the Plaza Hotel.

Apartments

The six full-floor apartments are two-bedroom units with two-and-a-half bathrooms and a total of 2,201 square feet.

Each living room has a wall-length, custom-built walnut bookcase surrounding a decorative fireplace.

Kitchens have stainless steel appliances, wine storage by Miele, Carrara marble backsplashes and countertops and Siematic PUR-matte lacquer cabinets.

Bathrooms has Sicis Italian mosaic tile flooring, Carre French ceramic tile walls, Carrara marble countertops and Lefroy Brooks fixtures throughout and six-foot Signature Catalina soaking tubs.

Each unit has a Miele washer and dryer.

The top two floors contain 2,943 square feet and three private outdoor terraces.

History

From 1965 to 1980, the building shared the same tax lot with the Plaza Hotel and it was included in the landmark designation by the city of the hotel in 1969. At a subsequent hearing that approved a plan to rebuild this building’s façade and add a rooftop addition, Robert Tierney, the chairman of the Landmarks Preservation commission, commented that this building was an “accidental landmark.” 

The Plaza Hotel had acquired this building in 1915 but leased it to commercial tenants and used it for administrative offices.

For many years, this building housed a Prexy’s restaurant, part of a popular chain whose hamburgers competed with those of Riker’s in the 1950s and 1960s.