The Beresford is among the most celebrated creations of one of New York’s most celebrated architects, Emery Roth. The building’s 200-foot-square, 22-story mass is highly visible, its three towers permanently etched in the skyline – the view protected by Central Park to the east and the American Museum of Natural History to the south.
Beresford was built just in the nick of time – completed just weeks before the stock market crash. Nonetheless, the Great Depression eventually claimed the grand building, and it was sold at auction in 1940. (See Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan: An Illustrated History
The Renaissance-style structure is built around a T-shaped courtyard that opens to the west, providing light and air to interior-facing rooms. There are four entries: Two on W 81st Street, one (the main address) on Central Park West, and a service entrance on W 82nd Street.
Emery Roth’s other major works include the San Remo and Ardsley, also on Central Park West; the Normandy (Riverside Drive), Oliver Cromwell (W 72nd Street), Ritz Tower (W 57th Street) and Hotel Belleclaire (Broadway).
Beresford Vital Statistics
- Location: 211 Central Park West between W 81st and W 82nd Streets
- Year completed: 1929
- Architect: Emery Roth
- Floors: 22
- Style: Renaissance
- New York City Landmark: 1987
- National Register of Historic Places: 1982
Beresford Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report
- The New York Times Streetscapes | The Beresford | Are Three Towers Now Two? No. One’s Just Hiding. (November 20, 2005)
- The New York Times Streetscapes/The Beresford, the San Remo, the Majestic, the El Dorado, the Century; Namesake Precursors of Central Park West’s Towers (September 14, 1987)
- City Realty review
- Street Easy NY listing (includes floor plans)
- Observer Red Carpet Real Estate | What Will Become Of Helen Gurley Brown’s Beloved Beresford Tower Penthouse? (August 13, 2012)
- Emporis database
- Luxury Apartment Houses of Manhattan: An Illustrated History (Dover Architecture)
- New York’s Fabulous Luxury Apartments: With Original Floor Plans from the Dakota, River House, Olympic Tower and Other Great Buildings
