55 Central Park West, PH19/20

A rare opportunity to acquire a grand duplex penthouse, with two terraces, atop one of Central Park West's most distinguished cooperatives. Spanning approximately 5,000 square feet, the sprawling, sundrenched residence is located on the 19th and 20th floors; with over 300 linear feet fronting Central Park. Both levels have expansive terraces and the apartment enjoys unparalleled views of Central Park.

The space has been dramatically expanded and has never been offered as a combined unit. There has been an extensive amount of design and architectural planning to create this architectural masterpiece and over five million dollars of improvements have been made to render it a clean white box, ready for your personal finishes and appointments. The apartment provides extraordinary flexibility for up to 7 bedrooms. You can bring your own ideas and architect, or adapt the extraordinary proposed plans which are available for review upon request.

The proposed floor plan has a gracious 37' gallery, leading to a dramatic entertaining expanse with enormous windows overlooking Central Park and a vast South East terrace. There is a 27' x 20' living room with a fireplace, a 30'x 17' formal dining room, and a 17' x 14' Family Room/Media room, all overlooking the Park. The Southern wing of the home includes a 20' eat-in-kitchen with a 14' x 11' dining area, a butlers pantry and laundry room. A sprawling Park-facing master suite with fireplace overlooks both the Eastern and Northern terraces, and has French Doors opening onto the East-facing wrap terrace. It has an oversized master bath and dressing room. There are two spacious bedrooms, both with ample closets and full baths en suite; one of which overlooks the apartment's Northern terrace.

The upper floor of the apartment contains a double-height tower room, a glass-enclosed Conservatory and Pavilion, all opening on to an expansive corner terrace, with views from the upper reaches of Central Park as well as sunsets to the west.

There is also a fireplace, full bath and a wet-bar. One could use this entirely as entertaining space, or utilize part of the space for an additional bedroom. There is also a separate staff suite, located on the garden level of the building.

Notable past owners include Calvin Klein, David Geffen, Marsha Mason, and Keith Barish, who is famously said to have purchased his apartment with the exchange of a Jasper Johns Flag painting. This iconic building and its terraces were featured in the movies Ghostbusters and Superman.

Constructed in 1930, 55 Central Park West was designed by Architect Schwartz and Gross and built by Victor Earle and John C. Calhoun and is considered one of the pivotal structures of the Central Park West Historic District. Earle had been actively developing the Upper West Side of Manhattan since the 1910s and the duo is also responsible for many of the other buildings along Central Park West, and particularly for setting the Art Deco style as the prevailing trend for this block. Both the interior and the exterior possess unique architectural features that set the structure apart from its peers and it is considered to be the first fully Art Deco structure on Central Park West. Shaded in tones from red at the base to pale tan at the top, forty different hues of earth colors were established to create the illusion the sun was always shining on the building. The building is part of the Central Park West Historic District, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This full-service cooperative has a bike room, children's playroom, storage bins and laundry room. Pets are allowed; as is pied-a-terre ownership.