45 East 66th Street is a striking Gothic-embellished apartment building designed by Harde & Short, built of red brick with white terra cotta ornament. The 10-story Madison Avenue landmark has a distinctive corner tower (like Harde & Short’s Alwyn Court) and a tall cornice; the colors and ornamentation are similar to the architects’ Red House.
Originally, the luxury building had just two apartments on each floor. The building’s entrance was in the base of the corner tower, and there were no stores. In 1928, new owners moved the entry to East 66th Street (where it is now) and converted ground floor apartments to more lucrative stores. A few years later the owners began subdividing apartments – there are now 33 in the 10-story building.
45 East 66th Street Vital Statistics
- Location: 45 E 66th Street at Madison Avenue
- Year completed: 1908
- Architect: Harde & Short
- Floors: 10
- Style: Gothic Revival
- New York City Landmark: 1977
- National Register of Historic Places: 1980
45 East 66th Street Recommended Reading
- Wikipedia entry (66th Street)
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report
- Daytonian in Manhattan blog
- City Realty review
- The New York Times column
- Brick and Cornice blog