Celebrating New York City Image 2

The Beresford, at 211 Central Park West, between 81st and 82nd Streets, is a luxury, 23-floor apartment building. Designed by the architect Emery Roth, The Beresford was completed in 1929 and is one of the most prestigious addresses in Manhattan.

It takes its name from the Hotel Beresford, which had occupied the site since 1889. It has two very prominent street-front facades, crowned by its three distinctive octagonal copper-capped corner towers. It is opened to the west, giving it a U-shape, wrapped around a central court.

The building's residents have included Jerry Seinfeld, Diana Ross, John McEnroe and Tony Randall.

Some years ago I was in NYC for a meeting, staying in a hotel on 81st Street. Walking back to my hotel one afternoon, I passed Tony Randall, his wife and another actor talking outside The Beresford. When I finished my pen-and-ink drawing "Beresford House" I made note cards and decided to send a package to Tony Randall. Less than a week after I mailed them I received a note from Mr. Randall on one of my cards. He said, "Well, you should have stopped and said hello." (I had told him about seeing him.) He also said that he had been in and out of the building a thousand times and had never noticed this angels.

"Beresford House" is a drawing of the ornamentation on the building as keystone at the top of some of the windows. It has a beautiful face and incised detail on the wings. When I was taking pictures of the building, as I stopped to move to a different angle, I noticed that people passing by were looking up trying to figure out what I was taking pictures of. Maybe they thought it was strange for someone to be interested in taking pictures of the side of a building or maybe they had never noticed the angels either.