The streetscape in this week's Cornerspotter looks entirely different today, but the hint of a "remarkably sophisticated" apartment complex was enough to lead commenter Ferryboi to the correct location. The archival image shows the Glidden Motors & Supply Co. showroom at 239 West 58th Street in 1919. Located on the corner of Broadway, the Spanish Colonial-style building was razed, along with 16 neighboring lots, to make way for the massive 240 Central Park South rental building, completed in 1940. The modernist complex won a lot of praise; Lewis Mumford wrote in the New Yorker that the building was "the finest in its class that has been put up since the Rockefeller apartments," while Architectural Forum called it "one of the best apartment buildings yet produced." For even more archicritic responses, check out this 36-page document from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
· Hint: Critically Acclaimed Apartments Replaced This Showroom [Curbed]
· Photo: Glidden Motor & Supply Co., 1919 [MCNY]
· 240 Central Park South Apartments [LPC PDF]
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