Barbizon 63

The Barbizon (known since 2005 as Barbizon 63), is a building located at 140 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. It was for many decades a female-only residential hotel for young women who came to New York City for professional opportunities, but still wanted a "safe retreat" that felt like the family home.[2]

Barbizon Hotel for Women
NYC Landmark No. 2495
Barbizon Hotel for Women, July 2007
Location140 E. 63rd St., Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′53″N 73°57′58″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1927
ArchitectPalmer H. Ogden, Everett F. Murgatroyd
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.82001186 [1]
NYCL No.2495
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 29, 1982
Designated NYCLApril 17, 2012

The Barbizon was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982,[1] and was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2012.

History

The Barbizon was built in 1927, incorporating a blend of Italian Renaissance, Late Gothic Revival, and Islamic decorative elements. It is a 23-story steel frame building encased in concrete and faced in salmon-colored brick with limestone and terra cotta decorative elements.[3]

For most of its existence, it operated as a residential hotel for women, with no men allowed above the ground floor, and strict dress and conduct rules were enforced. The hotel became a more standard hotel when it began admitting men as guests in 1981.[4] In 2002, a $40 million renovation was completed and the name was changed to The Melrose Hotel. In 2005 the hotel closed and the building was gutted and rebuilt for condominium use and renamed Barbizon 63.

Even after the condo renovation, there were still 14 women living under the old arrangements at the hotel due to rent control in 2006.[4]

The building includes a large indoor pool which is today part of an Equinox Fitness club, and air rights to adjacent properties were purchased when the building was constructed.

Famous residents

Female

Male

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Places where Women Made History". National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 27, 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Barbizon Hotel for Women". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. August 1982. Retrieved 2011-03-25. See also: "Accompanying nine photos".
  4. Barbanel, Josh (2006-03-19). "A New Chapter for the Barbizon". The New York Times.
  5. "Episode 965 – Rita Rudner".
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