There’s a building on a random block on the Upper West Side that you could walk by a million times and not really notice. From ground level, it appears to be just like any other full-service co-op building, but if you happen to glance up at the facade you’d be amazed.

The Level Club was built in 1927 by a group of Freemasons (Warren G. Harding was even a member). It had 225 rooms, a ballroom and auditorium, a swimming pool, Turkish baths, a gym with handball courts, a bowling alley, a billiard room, and a library…this place had it all! The facade has numerous Masonic images including a level, an all-seeing eye, an hourglass, and a beehive, and was meant to be a replica of Solomon’s Temple.

Unfortunately, the bank foreclosed on the property in 1931, just four years after opening. In the following 50-year span, it would become Hotel Riverside Plaza and would change ownership many times.

In 1984, the club was converted to upscale Condos and that’s how it remains today.

I have clients that were interested in purchasing a condo in the Level Club, so I got to visit. The original lobby is preserved exactly as when it was first built in 1927! I was blown away by its grandeur and hidden masonic symbols scattered all over the design. You could really sit and study it for hours.

The Level Club is located on West 73rd Street between West End Avenue and Broadway. If you’re ever in the neighborhood I highly recommend a visit.

The Level Club

Columbus Circle

Tudor City