The Amazing Apthorp Apartments

Updated: Dec 3, 2023

This is the first in a series inspired by The New York Public Library's Digital Collection's The World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses. Printed in 1910, this album was a reference guide used by developers and real estate agents to promote apartment buildings to future tenants.

Click the arrow on the right side of the picture to see the present courtyard of The Apthorp.

All apartment buildings have stories whether they are worth telling or not. The Apthorp Apartments' story would be considered remarkable by most. Over the past two hundred years, the land and its contents have been bought and sold numerous times. Sometimes the owners were good stewards, other times not. Let's explore a bit of the Apthorp's history and its present-day self.

New York Public Library Digital Collection

Our story begins with Charles Ward Apthorp who was a wealthy merchant. He built his grand mansion in 1763 on almost 300 acres of land on what is now the Upper West Side. Apthorp was a member of the British Governor's Council and his loyalty to the crown was a source of conflict with his neighbors. In 1783, Apthorp would have to abandon his mansion when the British Army evacuated from New York City. It has been rumored that General George Washington used Apthorp's mansion as his headquarters near the end of the Revolutionary War...the ultimate insult to a British sympathizer.*

After Apthorp died in 1797, his mansion and the surrounding land passed through different relatives and owners. Later known as Elm Park, it became a popular park for many decades. This park was also the site of a riot between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics in 1870. Eight people died due to mob violence in what was called the first Orangeman Riot.

After years of decay, Apthorp's mansion was torn down by the city in 1891 and the land was brought by a distant relation, William Waldorf Astor.** William Waldorf Astor had an auspicious history with real estate development. He was in a testy dispute with his cousin John Jacob Astor IV (who would later die on the Titanic) involving their dueling hotels, the Waldorf Hotel and the Astor Hotel. Eventually, this feud would be solved by the joining of their hotels to create the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

One interesting piece of history...The two hotels were connected through a long corridor. This corridor came to be known as Peacock Alley due to the daily promenade of the Gilded Age's wealthy and fashionable women and men wanting to be seen in their finery.****

Waldorf Astor would not be deterred and so he continued endeavors in real estate. After acquiring the Apthorp's land, he hired the architecture firm of Clinton and Russell to design the Apthorp Apartments. This firm had previously worked with Astor to build the Astor Apartments on West 75th Street and the Astor Hotel (demolished in 1967) near Times Square.

The Museum of the City of New York Peacock Alley

New York Public Library Digital Collection The World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses.

Named after the aforementioned Charles Ward Apthorp, the Apthorp Apartments were built on West End Avenue between West 78th and 79th Street. Completed in 1908, it was unique due to its massive presence. The building spans an entire city block. The structure included a courtyard, four lobbies, and twelve stories of uniquely designed apartments.***

The stunning courtyard was a strong selling point. It was built to create light and air for the apartments. The idea for this courtyard was greatly influenced by the city's Tenement Housing Act of 1901. Although the word "tenement" is associated with the poor, it was a legal term defined as a dwelling with three or more families living independently from each other. This law mandated certain things for apartments such as the number and placement of windows. But the law also stated that buildings needed to have an open courtyard. While this design became fashionable with Beaux Arts architects, it was actual law. *****

New York Public Library Digital Collection The World's Loose Leaf Album of Apartment Houses.

After seven decades, the Astors sold the building in the 1950s. Over the past 60-some years, there have been several owners that have changed and made improvements to the building. Although some improvements were not to the residents liking.

In the 1970s and 80s, the Apthorp was in shabby condition with its limestone covered in grime, leaking pipes, and a dubious electrical system. In the 1990s, the building experienced a fire, robbery, and assault, and a murdered body was found on the roof. Writer and director, Nora Ephron, who had lived at the Apthorp for over twenty years, decided to move out of her apartment due to these crimes and the rapidly rising rent. Ephron said, "My lease expired again. The landlords were willing to give me a three-year lease—ten thousand dollars a month the first year, eleven thousand the second, twelve thousand the third. My rent had effectively been raised four hundred percent in three years."******

After a renovation in the 2000s, the Apthorp began to thrive, and the New York City real estate market took notice. It became condominiums in 2008. The conversion from apartments to condos was fraught, especially for those long-time residents who couldn't afford to buy their apartments. Lawsuits followed. In 2016, the Apthorp had become a hotbed of alleged corruption, prompting a probe by the state Attorney General’s Office according to The New York Post's Jennifer Gould.*******

In the present day, 2021, apartments (condos) are currently sold for millions and the building has never looked better. It had been said, "If you can afford to live there, you should."***

The Apthorp's story continues and its palatial structure will persevere due to its designation as a New York City Landmark and being placed on the National Register of Historic Places.