200 Central Park South is a Modern-style building on the south side of Central Park in New York City, at the corner of 7th Avenue and Central Park South. It is most notable for its curving facade, banded by balconies. Its exterior is beige brick and glass. It is across from a major pedestrian and vehicle entrance into Central Park, known as the "Merchant's Gate". This full service building was built post-war in 1963 by Bernard Spitzer and Melvin Lipman. It was designed by Wechsler & Schimenti. This building is highly recognizable in New York City photographs, most notably for its curved facade. The building is lined with terraces that taper in, then curve, and taper out as they wrap around the two faces of the building. Morris Lapidus's Fontainebleau Hotel "The curved base of this 35-story modernist residential tower, built 1963, allows more apartments to have park views." The building’s design was explained by Robert A. M. Stern, Thomas Mellins and David Fishman in their book, New York 1960, Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial, as "a kind of aggressive, self-referential Modernism that had hitherto been largely absent from Manhattan." As of 2016 it is a full-service residential co-op apartment building. This Midtown West building currently has 309 apartments spanning 34 floors. Amenities for its residents include a roof deck, elevator operators, maid service, valet, garage, and concierge. In 2016, it is rated as the #2 co-op building in Midtown, and #13 in Manhattan, according to. An interesting fact is that most passersby think it is a 21-story building, and are unaware of its tower, set back, which brings it up 14 more floors. , built in 1949, also on 59th Street, at Park Avenue, has a curved corner, but is not tapered that Spitzer reportedly got the idea for the famous curve from the curve drawn by a pencil thrown in frustration. Its tapered balconies have been said to give it a Barcelona feel. It was built in 1963, not 1965, according to some websites. Horsley asserts it resembles the Fontainebleau Hotel, in Miami, designed by Morris Lapidus. Residents have included:
