The Osborne at 205 West 57th St. #6DA

The Building

The Osborne, one of the few buildings in Manhattan that can actually be termed historic, was built between 1883-1885 making it contemporaneous with the Dakota on Central Park West and one of the city’s earliest luxury buildings. The architecturally-impressive landmark, situated cattycorner to Carnegie Hall at 57th Street and 7th Avenue, is a rare example of the original development of multi-family dwellings for well-to-do residents.

The building’s design draws on elements of both Romanesque Revival (the heavy, rusticated stone exterior and deeply set windows) and the emerging Renaissance Revival style indicated by its refinement, proportions and strong horizontality. The lobby itself is a fine New York treasure: inch upon inch of intricate, multi-colored 19th century carved wood and ceramic tile in the entranceway and main corridor. Some have thought the windows in the mail room were designed by John LaFarge or his studio. Because of proximity to Broadway and Carnegie Hall, and legendarily thick floors and walls, the high-ceilinged corridors have felt the footsteps of major theatrical, design and music legends, from the Redgraves to Ralph Bellamy to Van Cliburn to Leonard Bernstein (who, it is said, kept residents awake till all hours refining his score for WEST SIDE STORY).

The Apartment

If you are looking for that first special apartment or the extraordinary pied a terre, look no further: this charming one bedroom at the historic Osborne fits the bill. With sky high ceilings and south-facing full length windows, the unit was gut-renovated by the current owner and feels larger than its square footage. French doors open into the bedroom, plaster wall detail decorates the space above the new, open kitchen, and everything you need for a quiet dinner party for four at home or a night out on the town is right outside the building’s front door. The last few years have seen a Renaissance of this neighborhood, starting wit