The Gainsborough Studios, also known as 222 Central Park South, is a residential building on Central Park South, just east of Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Designed by Charles W. Buckham, the building is 16 stories tall with 34 apartments. Named after English painter Thomas Gainsborough, the building is one of several in Manhattan that were built in the early 20th century as both studios and residences for artists.
The Gainsborough Studios' name and design indicated its artistic connotations. The facade contains a bust of Gainsborough above the main entrance; a bas-relief across the third floor, designed by Isidore Konti; and tile murals by Henry Chapman Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works at the top stories. Some studios have ceilings with double-height spaces, while others are smaller units that occupy part of a single floor. Artists generally rented the studios as a combination residence and working space.
The Gainsborough Studios corporation built the structure between 1907 and 1908 as artists' cooperative housing, although it gradually became a standard residential development. The lobby was restored in the 1950s and in 1981, and a full renovation of the building commenced in 1988. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988.
Site
The Gainsborough Studios is in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, just east of Columbus Circle. It is on the southern side of Central Park South between Seventh Avenue and Broadway, across from Central Park to the north. The Gainsborough Studios occupies a lot measuring on Central Park South and deep. Nearby buildings include 200 and 220 Central Park South to the east, 240 Central Park South to the west, and 1790 Broadway and the Central Park Tower to the south.
Architecture
The Gainsborough Studios is tall and has 16 stories. Charles W. Buckham was the architect, while Wells Bros. Company was the general contractor. The artist was the founding president of the Gainsborough Studios corporation, which developed the building. Franzen was a significant figure in the building's planning, and may have influenced the decision to name the building after English painter Thomas Gainsborough. The Gainsborough Studios' exterior design reflects both its interior furnishings and its purpose as an artists' studio, with numerous allusions to art in both its name and facade. It is one of a few artists' housing cooperatives remaining in Manhattan.
Facade
The first and second floors are faced with limestone. The entrance is set within a square doorway under a portico with the words , which in turn is supported by a pair of white terracotta and granite Ionic columns. There is a double-height window to each side of the main entrance, with two stone mullions and a thick stone muntin in each window. A staircase to the basement is west of the entrance. Running across the third story is a bas-relief frieze by Isidore Konti called Procession of the Arts. The frieze depicts various people delivering gifts to an altar representing the arts, and contains two small windows. A plinth sits atop the entrance portico, supporting a bust of Thomas Gainsborough outside the fourth and fifth stories.
Above the second story, the building's facade is split into two vertical bays, flanked by three brick piers with stone reveals. The facade generally contains double-height windows facing Central Park South, which break up the facade into several double-story sections between the second and fifteenth floors. The lower portion of each double-story section features a quatrefoil panel and a small pediment at the center, flanked by a glass pane on each side. The upper portion of each double-story section, as well as the fourth floor, contains a large window divided into several sections by narrow mullions. The lower and upper portions of each double-height story are separated by narrow spandrel panels. An arch runs above each bay over the twelfth story.
Above the twelfth story, the piers are ornamented with tile mosaics by Henry Chapman Mercer's Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. The mosaics contain geometric patterns in red, yellow, green, and gray hues; the central pier contains more elaborate decoration compared to the outer piers. Atop the building is a corbel table with shell designs, as well as acroteria atop each pier.
