A sumptuously illustrated book exploring every nook and cranny of this legendary New York apartment house-its distinguished architecture, its extravagant decoration, its tumultuous history, and its storied tenants. The Osborne, at 205 West 57th Street, was one of New York's first luxury apartment houses; along with peers like the Dakota, it helped to popularize the idea of apartment living among New York's affluent classes. A monument to the Gilded Age, the Osborne features a rusticated brownstone facade with both Romanesque and Renaissance motifs, and a foyer and lobby elaborately adorned with marble, mosaics, murals, gilding, and stained glass. Although many of its grand apartments were gradually subdivided, the Osborne has always remained a habitat for the interesting and influential, including many habitués of across-the-street neighbor Carnegie Hall, such as Leonard Bernstein and Van Cliburn. In this handsome volume, Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch, a longtime resident and the leading authority on the Osborne, traces every stage of the building's history-from the tangled tale of its financing and construction to its present status as a proud nineteenth-century survivor on Billionaires' Row-profiling its most colorful tenants along the way. Original color photography and archival illustrations bring the Osborne's apartments and public spaces to vivid life, and a study of the building's stained glass by noted expert Julie L. Sloan clarifies the respective contributions of the John La Farge and Tiffany studios. AUTHORS: Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch, an independent scholar and former book editor, is a longtime resident of the Osborne and the leading authority on its history. She was instrumental in the historical landmarking of the building and the restoration of its lobby. Deutsch is currently completing The Polite Lady: or, A Course of Female Education, a study of American women's education as embodied in crafts such as needlework and japanning. Julie L. Sloan is a well-known expert on the history and conservation of American stained glass. She is the author of numerous books and articles on the subject, and has overseen the restoration of windows at Harvard's Memorial Hall, Trinity Church in Boston, and St. Thomas Church in New York, among many others. SELLING POINTS: . The first-ever book on one of New York's most legendary luxury apartment houses, a living monument to the Gilded Age on 57th Street . An oversize volume copiously illustrated with original photography and archival images . Tells the dramatic tale of the building's construction and explores its lavish architecture and decoration . Also profiles its most colorful tenants through the years, from Leonard Bernstein and Al Hirschfeld to at least one notorious murderer . Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch is a longtime resident of the Osborne and the leading authority on its history. . Includes a special section on the Osborne's beautiful stained glass, created by the John La Farge and Tiffany studios
