625 Park Ave, 2-AD

THE BUILDING
625 Park Avenue is one of the most impressive apartment buildings designed by J.E.R. Carpenter, the foremost architect of luxury apartment buildings in New York's prewar period. Carpenter was educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and trained in the offices of McKim, Mead and White, and designed among others 550, 580, 635 and 640 on Park, with 810, 825, 907, 920, 1030, 1060 on Fifth as well as 2 East 66th Street.

Erected in 1931, 625 Park is perfectly positioned on the northeast corner of Park Avenue and East 65th Street, its desirable corner location affording exquisite light into more rooms than is usually possible. Its penthouse of 26 rooms historically occupied by cosmetic queen Madame Helena Rubinstein for over 30 years has long been renowned for its 68' long salon originally designed for parties and chamber music recitals. THE POTENTIAL TO REUNITE TWO ADJACENT APARTMENTS
Because 625 Park uses European numbering, these two apartments are actually on the third floor of the building and have a tree line view across the spacious lanes and planted median of Park Avenue. As apartments 2A and 2D were originally one residence with a total of 19 windows facing three exposures, they can be easily rejoined into a majestic 12-room apartment on a prime Park Avenue corner.

Spanning the full 70-foot width of the building facing Park Avenue, 2A begins with a large private elevator landing and double doors opening to a 20-foot wide gallery. From the gallery, one can enter the library which measures 17' x 22' with west-facing windows on Park and a wood-burning fireplace or enter the grand corner living room which measures 18'8 x 28'x6 with windows facing west onto Park and north, also featuring a wood-burning fireplace. The gallery also leads to a gracious formal dining room measuring 20'9 x 18'7 with wood-burning fireplace, as well as a large guest coat closet, powder room, and the corridor leading to the bedrooms.

The formal dining room proceeds to a large kitchen with a pantry and ample room for an eat-in arrangement. From the kitchen, enter the staff suite complete with a full bath and a separate entry onto the common hallway. On the opposite end of the apartment, facing west and south, are two bedrooms, each with an en-suite bath. The grand corner master bedroom faces south and west with tree-line views down Park Avenue. There are two large closets on the hallways for storage.

2D is a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath apartment with a 25'6 x 14' living room facing south leading to the kitchen. The living room features built-in bar as well as an artfully concealed television behind a full-length mirror. A wide corridor lined with bookshelves and additional closet space also includes a half-bath, coat closet, and leads to the gracious master bedroom.

It has been often noted that while Carpenter and Candela competed with each other, Carpenter managed to create twice as many buildings on Fifth and Park Avenues. In 1932, a letter from Lawrence B. Elliman in The Real Estate Record and Guide said that that Mr. Carpenter was the father of the modern large apartment here in New York. These apartments in 625 Park Avenue embody that scale and sense of proportion of J.E.R. Carpenter's work that have remained timeless.