Central Park Casino
Central Park Casino | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Manhattan, New York City |
Opened | 1862 |
Relocated | 1929 |
Demolished | 1936 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Calvert Vaux |
The Central Park Casino, originally the Ladies' Refreshment Salon, was a restaurant in Central Park, near East 72nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The name of the building came from the Italian for "little house"; the Casino itself was not a gambling business.[1][2]
Operation
The building was originally designed by
The building opened in early 1864 as a restaurant intended for unaccompanied female visitors to Central Park,[6] and was one of Central Park's three original restaurants.[5] Soon, it was patronized by both men and women. While the building that housed the Casino belonged to the City of New York, the City often leased the Casino to independent operators.[7] By the early 1920s, the Casino was rundown,[7] and so it was renovated during the winter of 1921–1922.[8]
Jimmy Walker, mayor of New York City during the late 1920s, frequented the Casino and reportedly spent more time there than in New York City Hall.[7] Besides entertaining elite guests in the restaurant, Walker had an office in the Casino and conducted city administration there while meeting with political cronies.[9][7] In 1929 Walker terminated the lease of C.F. Zittel and allowed a friend, Sidney Solomon, to transform the Casino into one of New York's most expensive nightclubs.[10] Plans for the renovated Casino were released in February 1929.[11] Solomon renovated the interior of the Casino using a design from Viennese designer Joseph Urban, though he kept the exterior mostly the same. The renovated Casino reopened on June 4, 1929.[12]
Demolition
When the
Only the stained-glass windows of the Casino were preserved. They were installed in, and later removed from, the police station at the 86th Street transverse.
References
Citations
- ^ "The Casino and Rumsey Playfield". Historical Signs Project. New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ Carroll 2008, p. 40
- ^ Kowsky 1998, p. 100.
- ^ New York City Department of Parks and Recreation 1863, p. 37.
- ^ a b Kowsky 1998, p. 159.
- ^ New York City Department of Parks and Recreation 1864, p. 38.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Caro 1974, p. 339.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Rosenzweig & Blackmar 1992, pp. 398–399.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Caro 1974, p. 460.
- ^ "Moses Wins Right to Raze the Casino", The New York Times, May 2, 1936, retrieved July 28, 2014
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Rumsey Playfield". Central Park Conservancy. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ Rosenzweig & Blackmar 1992, pp. 454–455.
- ^ Caro 1974, pp. 397–398.
Sources
- OCLC 834874.
- Carroll, Raymond (May 1, 2008). The Complete Illustrated Map and Guidebook to Central Park. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 9781402758331.
- ISBN 0-8014-9751-5.
- "1863 Central Park Commissioners Annual Report" (PDF). New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. 1863. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "1864 Central Park Commissioners Annual Report" (PDF). New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. 1864. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 11, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- Kowsky, Francis R. (1998). Country, Park, & City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-511495-9.