131-135 East 66th Street Apartment House

History and architecture

This distinguished eleven-story deluxe apartment house reflects the influence of Italian Renaissance palazzo in its two principal elevations facing the street, it is an important expression of luxury apartment house architecture of the early Twentieth Century. The design and proportions of its various architecture) units are excellently rotated, harmoniously blended, and carefully executed in time- stone, giving the building the character and quality to be found in the best townhouses of the period.

Vertically the facade is divided into four sections separated by band courses or cornices. The first division or base, three stories high, is rusticated and accented at the fourth floor by a wide band course. The second section is only one story. The third section of two stories is surmounted by a cornice at the level of the seventh floor window sits with another smatter cornice below it at the fifth floor window street level. An added accent is achieved in these two cornices by having them projected forward above at) the framed windows. On these two floors all the windows, except the end ones, are joined together by eared frames with keystones and have decorative spandrel panels between them. The next section above is four stories high and has windows set in a plain wall and is separated by a band course from the attic windows, which are set in the architrave of the entablature.

The building is crowned by a bold cornice carried on modillions. The cornice is one of the finest in the City. The two entrances on Sixty-sixth Street are superb and command particular attention. A wide broken pediment at the top is supported by large tonic columns backed up by offset tonic pi tasters. A large console bracket serves as a keystone. A window has been ingeniously introduced on center in the break of the pediment.

At the public hearing Henry Hope Peed, representing the Municipal Art Society said, “The New York apartment house is one of the great products of the 'American Renaissance'. One of the finest is, of course 131-135 East 66th Street designed by Charles A. Platt. Truiy this building is one of the great ornaments of the City.' In a letter to the Commission, Theodore Hood, architect, said, ' 131-135 East 66th Street represents unduplicatable artistic and historical value to our City."