One of my favorite Upper West Side architectural marvels—aside from The Ansonia—is The Apthorp which takes up the full block between Broadway, West End Avenue, and West 78th and 79th Streets. It’s one of those buildings where the doormen don’t even let you cross the property’s threshold unless you have official business. And yes, that makes me want to live there someday!

The Apthorp isn’t just a clever developer’s idea of a fancy name—like we see so often currently. It is a nod to Charles Apthorp Ward, who owned a 300-acre farm on the site in the early development of the neighborhood.

Apthorp Farm was assembled by Charles Apthorp Ward from 1762 to 1763, who built a massive Pre-Revolutionary War homestead called ‘Elmwood’ (noted for the American Elm trees on the surrounding lands). The property looked out over the Hudson River from 90th Street and Amsterdam. Charles was the son of a wealthy British landowner from Boston. The New York Times wrote, "Had this tract been handed down from son to son on the British landed gentry system the owner today would virtually be New York's Duke of Westminster." Imagine if the Revolutionary War had never taken place?!

Speaking of war, things didn’t go well for the mansion. After The Battle of Brooklyn, General Washington marched north and took over the estate as a military outpost. Unfortunately for the Continental Army, British General Howe soon gained command of the estate and for the remainder of the war would be in the hands of the British. Luckily, General Washington had already moved further north, evading capture. Apthorp was eventually tried for high treason after the war’s end, but for reasons not disclosed, he was released and allowed to keep his estate.

‘Elmwood’ in 1891 prior to being razed
*Photo by NYPL Digital Collection*

After Apthorp’s death in 1797, the 300 acres went through a century-long legal battle within his family. When the mansion was razed in 1891 for the extension of Ninth Avenue (today’s Columbus Avenue), the land was ready for its next phase in New York City history.

The Apthorp that we know and love today was built by William Waldorf Astor and opened in 1908. It was an architectural marvel with a facade of limestone, designed by Clinton & Russell in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It has a landscaped central courtyard which is accessed on Broadway or West End Avenue through massive iron gates.

or most of the 20th Century, the Apthorp was a high-end rental complex. In 2006, it was purchased for $425 million and converted into high-end condominiums. Notable celebrities who have lived there over the years include Cyndi Lauper, Al Pacino, Norah Ephron, Conan O’Brien, Jennifer Hudson, Lena Horne, and Alec Baldwin. The spacious apartments typically start around $3 million and can go as high as $12 million today.

So the next time you’re on the Upper West Side and pass by the Apthorp, think back to how its namesake and the lands surrounding it played a part in the Revolutionary War and American History!

The Apthorp

The New York City Marathon

Columbus Circle