Saturday, January 12, 2008

The Ansonia

A couple of days ago I posted a commercial for Plato's Retreat, the swingers club from the 1970s. As the commercial indicates, it used to be located in the Ansonia, one of the most beautiful buildings ever constructed in New York. The Ansonia used to be a hotel but was converted into an apartment building in 1992. Besides Plato's, the Ansonia has a distinctive history.
As this Wikipedia article indicates, at one time or another Babe Ruth, Theodore Dreiser, Arturo Toscanini and Igor Stravinsky all stayed there. Did you know the Ansonia gave the world Bette Midler? In addition to Plato's the Ansonia housed the Contimental Baths, a gay club, where Bette Midler first sang in NYC.

Also, they filmed scenes for the movie "Single White Female," "The Paper", and "The Sunshine Boys" here. There are also some urban legends: did you know the fixed 1919 was conceived in front of the Ansonia?

If you're ever in the West 70's, go to 2109 Broadway and you'll see it. It's worth checking out.

The Ansonia

City Review

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