Osborne Apartments

History and architecture

The Osborne Apartments, built in 1883-85 and designed by the talented and prolific architect James E. Ware, was one of the earliest luxury apartment buildings in New York City. Constructed in what by 1890 had become New York's first apartment house district, near Central Park, this architecturally-impressive building is a rare surviving example of the original development in this city of multi-family dwellings for well-to-do residents, an increasingly important building type in the 1880s.

The Osborne's design draws elements from the popular Romanesque Revival style, such as the heavy, rusticated stone exterior with deeply set windows, for a sense of solidity; these are combined in a bold and original manner with the refinement, proportions, and strong horizontality of the emerging Renaissance Revival style. The result is one of the most striking apartment buildings in New York City. The round-arched openings, the projecting oriels, and the full-height rustication are unusual in New York architecture of the time.

The robust massiveness of the exterior, although lightened by classical details, suggested an imposing strength, while the richly appointed lobby and well-planned apartments helped promote the legitimacy of multi-family living for the city's wealthy and socially-prominent citizens. A twenty-five foot wide extension, designed by Alfred S.G. Taylor and added to the western side of the building in 1906, harmonizes with Ware's original design. In 1919 stores were added at the ground level and the entrance portal was moved back to the main plane of the facade.

The location of the Osborne on 57th Street, near Carnegie Hall and other cultural and artistic institutions, has contributed to the popularity of this building as a residence for numerous well-known musicians and artists throughout its long history.