Ritz Tower was conceived as an “apartment hotel” to circumvent the city’s height restriction for apartment buildings. Apartment buildings’ heights were limited to 150% of the width of the adjacent street. When it opened, 465 Park Avenue was the tallest residential building in New York City, and had the same cachet as one of the “Billionaires’ Row” towers. To qualify as a “hotel” the 400 original apartments thus had no kitchens. Meals were served by a system of pantries and central kitchens linked by dumbwaiters.
The law that restricted apartment building heights was abolished in 1929. Despite the building’s superlatives, Ritz Tower was a financially troubled from the start. The building changed hands several times, and in 1955-56 Ritz Tower became a cooperative.
- Name: Ritz Tower
- Location: 465 Park Avenue, 111 East 57th Street
- Year Completed: 1927
- Architect: Emery Roth, Thomas Hastings
- Style: Beaux Arts
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission: Designation Report
- Wikipedia: Ritz Tower
- City Realty: Carter Horsley review
- Google Map
Gallery: Hover over photos for captions; click to view images in lightbox
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 001.jpg | 3580×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 2-007_HDR.jpg | 4480×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 2-010_HDR.jpg | 4480×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 2-013_HDR.jpg | 4480×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 2-016_HDR.jpg | 4480×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings in Beaux Arts style. Built in 1927.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower. This view possible only because four-story 680 Lexington Avenue was demolished to make way for a new (taller) building.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
465 Park Avenue – Ritz Tower 011.jpg | 4480×6720
465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
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465 Park Avenue, Ritz Tower, designed by Emery Roth and Thomas Hastings. The first residential skyscraper in New York, introduced setback terraces.
All images copyright © Kenneth Grant / photos taken August 2021 with Canon 5D Mark iv