By Carter B. Horsley

This attractive, red-brick apartment tower was completed in 1924 and is one of the more modest designs by J. E. R. Carpenter, the leading architect of Park Avenue buildings of his era.

Carpenter's other buildings on the avenue include 550, 580, 610, 625, 630, 635, 640, 812, 912 and 960. His other buildings include 907 Fifth Avenue and the Lincoln Building at 60 East 42nd Street.

"Carpenter is credited with the introduction of the zoned apartment plan - an innovation that eliminated long winding halls by grouping rooms for entertaining on one side and bedrooms on the other side on an entrance hall or gallery. By 1919 he was the a paramount authority in the field," noted Robert A. M. Stern, Gregory Gilmartin and Thomas Mellins in their book, "New York 1930, Architecture and Urbanism Between The Two World Wars," (Rizzoli International Publications, 1987).

In his book, "Park Avenue, Street of Dreams," (Atheneum, 1990), James Trager wrote that this building "originally had an on-premise restaurant, the Maison de Lion, and offered housekeeping apartments from three rooms and a bath to six rooms and a bath."

This 89-unit building, which was developed by J. E. R. Carpenter, has excellent masonry with brick quoins. It was converted to a cooperative in 1974. In his fine book, "The New York Apartment houses of Rosario Candela and James Carpenter" (Acanthus Press, 2001), Andrew Alpern notes that the building's rooftop maids' rooms were converted into a penthouse and the restaurant converted into doctors' offices in 1928 and that when it was converted to a coop Muzak was made available in each apartment.

It has a canopied, one-step-up entrance on the sidestreet, a doorman, and sidewalk landscaping, but no garage and no health club. It has a fine location in Carnegie Hill close to numerous schools, museums and religious institutions. There is excellent public transportation and good local shopping.