Essex House (160 Central Park South)
160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
- Year built
- 1931
- Type
- Mixed-use condominium
- Units
- 100
- Floors
- 44
- Pets
- Permitted under condominium rules
- Subletting
- Permitted under the condominium declaration
- Pied-à-terre
- Allowed
The Essex House at 160 Central Park South is among the most architecturally and culturally consequential Art Deco buildings on Central Park South — a 1931 Frank Grad commission whose 44-story height, distinctive Art Deco massing, and iconic illuminated rooftop signage have made the building a defining feature of the Central Park South skyline for nearly a century. The building's mixed-use program — combining the continuing Essex House hotel (operated under JW Marriott management) with approximately 100 condominium residences — places Essex House in a particular category of Manhattan trophy inventory, alongside The Plaza (1 CPS / 768 Fifth), The Pierre (795 Fifth), The Sherry-Netherland (781 Fifth), and The Carlyle (35 East 76th) as one of the small number of Manhattan addresses that combine luxury residential ownership with active hotel operations within the same building.
The 1931 vintage places Essex House in the construction-cycle peak of the pre-Depression Manhattan luxury building boom — the same approximate vintage as 740 Park Avenue (Candela / Cross & Cross 1930), 778 Park (Candela 1931), 834 Fifth (Candela 1931), and Hampshire House (Caughey & Evans 1937, three blocks west on the same side of CPS). The Frank Grad commission represented a deliberately mixed-use approach to the Central Park South frontage that distinguished Essex House from the purely-residential Hampshire House and the longer hotel tradition of The Plaza (1907) further east.
The Art Deco architectural vocabulary at Essex House is distinct from the broader pre-war Manhattan classical-revival idiom. Where 740 Park, 998 Fifth, and the Candela / Carpenter / Cross & Cross tier-one inventory deploy classical proportioning and ornamental restraint, Essex House executes the Art Deco vocabulary at trophy scale — geometric ornamental detailing on the lower-story facade, the characteristic Art Deco massing of the upper stories, and the iconic illuminated rooftop signage that has anchored the building's cultural identity since the 1930s.
The mixed-use program produces particular operational characteristics. The residential condominium portion operates with its own dedicated entrance and 24-hour doorman, separate from the hotel's lobby flow. Residents have integrated access to the hotel's broader service infrastructure on an a la carte basis — spa, fitness center, restaurant programs, event spaces. The combination produces both advantages (hospitality-grade service depth) and complexities (hotel guest activity in shared spaces, ongoing management of the residential / hotel program boundary).
For buyers, Essex House represents a particular tier of Central Park South inventory: pre-war Art Deco architectural pedigree, mixed-use condominium / hotel program at the scale and quality of the broader Manhattan trophy-hotel-residence category, and direct Central Park frontage at the heart of Midtown. Pricing varies substantially by floor, exposure, configuration, and the specific apartment's renovation history.
Architecture and unit composition
The approximately 100 residential condominium residences span configurations from approximately 800 sf 1BRs to substantially larger 3–4 BR configurations and combined apartments distributed across the building's residential floors above the hotel program.
Park-facing apartments on the north flank command direct Central Park views — sight lines across Central Park to the Reservoir, the West Side beyond, and depending on floor altitude, longer view envelopes north to Harlem. The Park view is the building's signature amenity for buyers.
The Art Deco interior detail — where preserved through the early-2000s condominium conversion and subsequent renovations — is consistent with the 1931-era luxury hotel construction vocabulary. The conversion added modern building systems (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) while preserving the architectural surfaces and detail at the public floors and many apartments.
Building operations
Essex House operates as a luxury mixed-use condominium with full-time doorman (dedicated residential entrance), 24-hour concierge, valet parking, and integrated access to the continuing Essex House hotel's broader service infrastructure on an a la carte basis.
The mixed-use program produces both advantages and complexities. Advantages: hospitality-grade service infrastructure, dining within the building (with the South Gate restaurant program and successor iterations), event spaces, spa and fitness facilities. Complexities: hotel guest activity in shared circulation, ongoing renegotiation of the boundary between residential and hotel use across the building's modern operating period.
Common charges and property taxes are substantial. The mixed-use program produces particular financial structures that buyers should review carefully during due diligence.
Recent sales
Last 5–10 closed sales at Essex House (replace this section with current ACRIS data — pull at publication time and refresh quarterly):
[Recent sales table to be populated from ACRIS]
Sales context at Essex House:
- Inventory turnover is moderate given the approximately 100-residence scale — typically 5–10 transactions per year.
- Pricing spans a range — 1BR configurations in the $1M–$3M range; 2–3 BR apartments in the $2M–$8M range; larger 3–4 BR Park-view configurations in the $7M–$20M range.
- Public listing through StreetEasy and Compass private exclusive is standard.
What to know if you’re buying
Understand the mixed-use program. Buyers acquire a condominium residence in an actively-functioning luxury hotel. Hotel guest activity in shared spaces is part of the daily-life signature. Buyers who want strict residential privacy may prefer purpose-built Central Park South cooperatives (Hampshire House, 200 CPS, 240 CPS); buyers who value hotel service integration find Essex House uniquely positioned.
The Art Deco architectural credential is real. The 1931 Frank Grad design and the iconic rooftop signage are among the most recognizable features of the Central Park South skyline.
Condo flexibility is real. 30–45 day closings; foreign buyers welcome; pied-à-terre and investment use permitted under the declaration; subletting allowed. Confirm any specific restrictions during the contract review process.
Park views are the structural amenity. North-facing apartments command direct Central Park sight lines. Floor altitude and exposure drive significant pricing differentiation.
Mansion tax cliff effects apply at higher price points. Run pricing through the Mansion Tax Calculator.
Hotel service access is a la carte. Residents can use Essex House hotel services but pay separately. Model anticipated service use into the carrying budget.
What to know if you’re selling
Marketing requires architectural literacy. The Frank Grad Art Deco pedigree, the rooftop signage as a cultural symbol, and the mixed-use program should all feature in listing copy.
Pricing requires apartment-level context. The 100-residence scale and varying configurations produce meaningful pricing variation by floor, exposure, and configuration.
Closing timelines are condo-fast. 30–45 days from contract signing to closing.
The Roebling Team at Essex House
The Roebling Team at Compass specializes in Central Park West, the Upper East Side, and the broader Park-facing Manhattan trophy market — including the small number of mixed-use luxury hotel-residence properties on Central Park South. We publish this building profile because mixed-use trophy buyers and sellers deserve building-specific intelligence — architecture, transactional mechanics, the realities of the mixed-use program, and pricing at the apartment level — not generic market commentary.
If you're considering a purchase or sale at Essex House, a 30-minute consultation is the right starting point.