Gainsborough Studios, Residential landmark building at 222 Central Park South, Manhattan, United States.
Gainsborough Studios is a 16-story residential building on Central Park South in Manhattan, faced with limestone and decorated with terracotta ornaments. The facade carries bas-reliefs and tile murals made by artists of the time, along with a bust of painter Thomas Gainsborough set above the entrance.
The building was designed by architect Charles W. Buckham and completed in 1908 as a cooperative housing project intended for artists, with 34 apartments. In 1988 it was designated a New York City Landmark, placing it under official protection.
The building takes its name from the English painter Thomas Gainsborough, whose bust still sits above the front door. The terracotta reliefs and tile murals on the facade were made by artists who lived and worked in New York at the time of construction.
The building sits on Central Park South and is easy to spot and view from the sidewalk. Residents with vehicles access parking from West 58th Street, which runs behind the building.
Some of the original apartments were built as duplex units so that artists could live on one level and use a separate floor as a working space. This two-story layout inside a single apartment was uncommon in New York residential buildings of that era.
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