Harperly Hall
Encyclopedia
Harperly Hall, 41 Central Park West, is an apartment building in Manhattan
, New York City
, United States
. The building is located along prestigious Central Park West
and was built in 1910, it opened in 1911. Cast in the Arts and Crafts style
, a rarity for New York City, Harperly Hall was designed by Henry W. Wilkerson. The structure was listed as a contributing property to the U.S. federal government designated Central Park West Historic District in 1982 when the district joined the National Register of Historic Places
.
, England, the Wilkerson's ancestral home.
By March 1910 construction on Harperley Hall was nearing completion, the building represented the first housing cooperative in the Central Park West
area. The building officially opened in 1911 with 76 apartments.
In December 2007, Pop-Singer Madonna
, a long-time resident, sued the co-op's board of directors In New York Supreme Court
citing they were blocking her from purchasing an additional 7th floor apartment.
In April 2008, Madonna
purchased the 7th floor unit for an Estimated $7 million Dollars.
The building at 41 Central Park West was designed by architect Henry W. Wilkerson. Wilkerson's design is unique from the typical apartment building design of the day. Wilkerson, who had little experience designing apartment-houses, used the Arts and Crafts style
liberally, throughout the structure. Though the building is cast mostly in the Arts and Crafts style, a rarity for New York City, it does contain elements of the Neo-Italian Renaissance
style.
The facade is brown brick with a limestone
base and terra cotta trim. The bricks, rough and mottled, are laid in "undulating lozenges" on the face of the building. This forms a "carpet-like" texture which gives the building a handmade character. Glazed tiles highlight the surface where they provide colorful displays of gold, turquoise and green. The glazed tile work is most likely the work of ceramicist Henry Mercer.
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The building is located along prestigious Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
and was built in 1910, it opened in 1911. Cast in the Arts and Crafts style
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
, a rarity for New York City, Harperly Hall was designed by Henry W. Wilkerson. The structure was listed as a contributing property to the U.S. federal government designated Central Park West Historic District in 1982 when the district joined the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
Henry Wilhelm Wilkerson, the building's architect, and a group investors purchased the property at the northwest corner of 64th Street and Central Park West in 1909. The original group included Wilkerson, Mary Bookwalter, a decorator, Dwight Tryon, an artist, Wallace Irwin, a humorist and concert manager Loudon Charlton. According to the corporate papers they filed their goal was to build a cooperative "suitable for artists' studios." The building was named after a manor house in County DurhamCounty Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England, the Wilkerson's ancestral home.
By March 1910 construction on Harperley Hall was nearing completion, the building represented the first housing cooperative in the Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
area. The building officially opened in 1911 with 76 apartments.
In December 2007, Pop-Singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, a long-time resident, sued the co-op's board of directors In New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
citing they were blocking her from purchasing an additional 7th floor apartment.
In April 2008, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
purchased the 7th floor unit for an Estimated $7 million Dollars.
Architecture
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
liberally, throughout the structure. Though the building is cast mostly in the Arts and Crafts style, a rarity for New York City, it does contain elements of the Neo-Italian Renaissance
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
style.
The facade is brown brick with a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
base and terra cotta trim. The bricks, rough and mottled, are laid in "undulating lozenges" on the face of the building. This forms a "carpet-like" texture which gives the building a handmade character. Glazed tiles highlight the surface where they provide colorful displays of gold, turquoise and green. The glazed tile work is most likely the work of ceramicist Henry Mercer.