Name: The San Remo
Address: 145-146 Central Park West, New York, NY
Architect: Emery Roth
Style: Renaissance Revival
Description: The San Remo is a landmark residential building located at 145–146 Central Park West, between 74th and 75th Streets, overlooking Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, New York City. Designed by Hungarian-American architect Emery Roth and constructed between 1929 and September 1930, the building is 27 stories tall and was one of the first in New York to feature twin towers rising from a 17‑story base, a configuration made possible by the Multiple Dwelling Act of 1929. Executed in Renaissance Revival style, the building is clad in light tan brick with limestone base and terracotta and metal ornamentation, featuring elaborate pilasters, cartouches, balustrades, urns, and scrollwork throughout its façade. The twin towers, each capped by circular “temple” lanterns inspired by the ancient Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, house full floor apartments and offer expansive views of the park.
Inside, The San Remo was conceived as an ultra-luxury residence with spacious layouts—averaging around 2,500–3,000 square feet per apartment with 10-foot ceilings and internal courtyards designed to maximize daylight and ventilation. Its dual-lobby arrangement, separate grand entrances, elevator banks, and lavish lobbies for each tower allowed for fewer long corridors, consistent with Roth’s signature “foyer plan” that emphasized privacy and Corinthian-style elegance. Though construction coincided with the onset of the Great Depression, producing financial difficulties and vacancies, the building eventually thrived and became a cooperative in the 1970s. Today, The San Remo is recognized as one of New York’s most prestigious residences and has housed celebrities such as Steve Jobs, Dustin Hoffman, Bono, and Rita Hayworth. It is a New York City Landmark (designated 1987) as well as a contributing property to the Central Park West Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places
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