Beekman Mansions is a charming neo-Renaissance cooperative apartment building nestled among diplomatic missions and residences, three blocks north of the United Nations.
The upper floors are rather plain, but the four-story brick-and-stone base is enchanting, with the third-story arcade flanked by pseudo towers. The five Gothic-arched entryways reveal the building’s inventiveness: The center doors lead to a conventional elevator lobby; the flanking doors lead to maisonettes – duplex apartments with private entries from the street. (sample floor plan here)
Van Wart & Wein designed the similarly styled Campanile almost directly behind Beekman Mansions. Set at the end (450) of E 52nd Street, on a bluff overlooking FDR Drive, the 14-story building has unimpeded views of the East River, Roosevelt Island and the 59th Street Bridge.
Beekman Mansions Vital Statistics
- Location: 439 E 51st Street at Beekman Place
- Year completed: 1925
- Architect: Van Wart & Wein
- Floors: 10
- Style: neo-Renaissance
Beekman Mansions Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry
- The New York Times Habitats | Beekman Place | For a Museum’s Chief, History at Home (August 21, 2005)
- City Realty review
- Street Easy NY listing (includes floor plans)
- Emporis database