Hattie Hoskins

16 June 2014

Streets of New York Part 1: Maps and History

Central Park South

The charming street Central Park South was first born in the 1860s (Gray 65). It was named

for its location at the lower boundary of Central Park, which is at the geographical center of

Manhattan, and it was called 59th Street before the park began construction in 1858. Central Park

South is considered to be one of the most elegant thoroughfares in town, and it is known for its

historic grand hotels (Moscow 35).

In its beginning, Central Park South had only one building that consisted of a small store and

a hotel on the southwest corner of Seventh Avenue. The street began to obtain residents in the

early 1870s when a few rows of houses were built. James A Wilson and Peter A. Morss were the

first documented residents of the street with residences at street numbers 210 and 214. Builders

began to recognize Central Park South as an ideal location to begin construction, but because the

street faced the park instead of neighbors, large real estate projects of private residences were

avoided and built in locations surrounded by people to impress; therefore, Central Park South

become a prime location for apartment buildings. In 1877, the Bradley apartments were erected

on address 30. Over the next 15 years, many apartment buildings sprung into life. By 1890 the

Alhambra (street no. 28), Boston (36), Dalhousie (40), Hawthorne (128), Appleby (218),

Parkview (222), and Hubert (230) apartments were built. The Hubert was the largest and was

built by Pirsson & Company in 1884. Prominent people in these flats included Staats-Zeitung

editor Oswald Ottendorfer in the Valencia (150), Episcopal Bishop Henry Codman Potter in the

Granada (160), and Mary Mapes Dodge, author of Hans Brinker and The Silver Skakes, in the

Cordova (170) (Gray 65-67).

By the 1890s, the social climate of Central Park South began to develop into an exclusive

and elite street. The New York Athletic Club, organized in 1868, and its 3,000 members moved

to the southeast corner at Sixth Avenue, which started the era of social clubs congregating in this

area of town (Gray 67). The building was completed in 1928 by designs by York and Sawyer,

spurring the attraction of many other social clubs to the area (Postal 230).

The

roaring 1920s brought the hotel invasion to Central Park South. The zoning laws of this decade

prompted older buildings to come down and new massive structures like the Essex and

Hampshire houses to be built (Gray 66). Hampshire House was completed in 1926 and opened in

1937 (Gray “A Case of ‘Frenzied Financing”). The Mayner family apartments were then

completed in 1939. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince, was one of its

noteworthy residents (Gray “A Model of High-Density Residential Development”).

The New York Athletic ClubCentral Park South in 1911

Most famously in the hotel invasion sprung the grand Plaza Hotel. Following the quick

development of homes in the 1880s, the original Plaza Hotel was completed in 1882. It first

opened in 1890, and to people’s surprise, was

unprofitable. In 1902 George A. Fuller Company

bought the Plaza, and then the building was

demolished in 1905. Next, Henry J. Hardenbergh

designed the new 19-story hotel with 800 rooms and

grand entertaining areas, and it re-opened on

October 1, 1907. Harry B. Helmsley then bought the Plaza Hotel in the 1960s (Jackson).

The Plaza’s first guest was Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt. Single rooms were charged a mere

$2.50 per night, which was considered a luxury cost in the 1920s. The Plaza’s famous guests

included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Frank Lloyd Write who lived

there while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum, The Beatles who Stayed during their

first trip to the United States in 1964, Truman Capote who hosted the Black and White Ball in

the Plaza’s Grand Ballroom in 1966, and lastly, the fictional character Eloise in the children’s

stories written by Kay Thompson. These guests reflect the

luxurious nature and elite social class that Central Park South

attracted. In 2005, El-Ad Properties purchased the Plaza, closing it

for two years for renovations to create additional private

residences, and it re-opened on March 1, 2008. Through its

various owners and transformations, the Plaza still stands in its

notorious location at Central Park South and Fifth Avenue

(Jackson).

The original Plaza Hotel

Plaza Hotel

Today, Central Park South still traverses three blocks from Columbus Circle to Fifth Avenue

with extravagant hotels on one side and a 2.5 stretch of Central Park on the other side. The street

itself is considered “in character, an extension of the plaza” (Postal 231). The street continues to

hold the lavish lifestyles of New Yorkers living in the lap of luxury. Though structures have

changed, the attitude of New York royalty lives on.

Works Cited

Gray, Christopher. "A Case of 'Frenzied Financing'." 20 May 1990, sec. Streetscapes: Hampshire

House: n. pag. Print.

Gray, Christopher. "A Model of High-Density Residential Development." The New York Times ,

sec. Streetscapes: 240 Central Park South: n. pag. Print.

Gray, Christopher. "Central Park's Southern Charm- The History Behind Central Park South's

Reign As A Prime Location For Hotels And Apartment Buildings." Old New York: 65-67.

Print.

Jackson, Kenneth T.. The Encyclopedia of New York City Second Edition. New York: Yale

University Press, 2010. Print.

Moscow, Henry. The street book: an encyclopedia of Manhattan's street names and their origins.

New York, N.Y.: Hagstrom Co., 1978. Print.

Postal, Matthew A.. "Central Park South, The Plaza, and Fifty-Seventh Street." Guide to New

York City landmarks. 4th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009. . Print.

Part 1 Section 3: Central Park South in the 1940s

The 1940 Census Data shows intriguing results for the data taken at the Hampshire House, a

high-rise apartment complex that attracted the wealthy and socially elite. Residents from the

Hampshire house appear to be primarily from New York and England. Other birthplaces that

stood out were Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Holland, France and Italy. The most common jobs

were lawyer, executive, president of a company, real estate broker, manager, and professions in

the arts such as actor and singer. An overwhelming majority of residents identified their race as

white.

Census data was also available for the Hotel St. Moritz, located at 50 Central Park South.

This luxury hotel continues in its grandeur as the Ritz Carlton today. The jobs of these residents

included manager, diamond importer, publicist, writer and designer.

Lastly, the census provided the data of the Plaza Hotel. Most residents were from the

northeastern states, such as New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and a

large amount of residents were from European countries such as England, Germany and Italy.

The most popular occupations appear to be buyer, financer, company president, and lawyer. But,

the interesting and most evidential observation that proves the wealth of those that lived in the

Plaza is that the majority did not work and listed no occupation, documenting that they did not

work for pay.

According to 1940sNewYork.com, Central Park South had the highest rent and expenditure

amount in the Times Square neighborhood in 1943. The rent was $150 and greater, and the

expenditure was $10,000 and greater. The neighborhood average family expenditure was $5,185,

proving that the people living on Central Park South were spending almost double the average.

This illustrates the wealth that populated this luxurious street.

On the east side of the street in the Plaza neighborhood in 1943, the Central Park South

residences again were in the $150 and up rental category and the $10,000 and up expenditure

category. The average expenditure for this neighborhood was $6,341, reiterating that the

residents on Central Park South spent much more money than others in the surrounding area,

proving the wealth that resided on the street in the 1940s.

Part 1 Section 4: Zip Code Patterns

Today, Central Park South holds many of its historic buildings. The Plaza, the famous Oak

Room restaurant, the Hampshire House apartments, the Essex House apartments, and the New

York Athletic Club still stand, holding years of antiquity and history. Central Park stretches the

entire north side of the street, providing a lush view for the residents of the luxury apartments.

Many swanky restaurants and designer stores encroach upon Central Park South, providing top

of the line dining and shopping.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the business with the most establishments in

the 10019 zip code of Central Park South in 1998 was professional, scientific and technical

services. The second and third businesses with the most establishments were retail trade and arts,

entertainment and recreation. The businesses with the largest amounts of employees (1000 and

greater) were finance and insurance, as well as accommodation and food services.

The total amount of establishments dropped from 1998 to 2012 from 5,213 establishments to

4,833 establishments. The businesses with the most establishments in 2012 include

accommodation and food services with 602 establishments; professional, scientific and technical

services with 595 establishments; and finance and insurance with 593 establishments. The

businesses with the largest amount of employees (from greatest to least) are finance and

insurance; information; professional, scientific and technical Services; and accommodation and

food services.

These trends in the business patterns of Central Park South’s zip code seem to make sense.

The decline in the number of establishments as whole from 5,213 to 4,833 from 1998 to 2012 is

most likely due to the recession of 2008. Though this zip code contains some of the wealthiest

residents in New York City, is makes sense that some of the small establishments without much

funding went under. It also makes sense that accommodation and food services climbed to be the

business with the most establishments due to rising tourism. When walking Central Park South,

all one sees is accommodation establishments (grand hotels) and beautiful restaurants.

The business patterns of zip code 10019 indicate that finance and insurance businesses

maintained the most employees throughout the years. As finance and insurance businesses are

typically extremely profitable, it is not surprising that most residents of this neighborhood work

in these industries.

Map of Central Park South Today