Would you believe me if I told you NYC once housed live stock on its roof and a lobby holding seals??? It is true, how could you not believe me? Its New York :)
It is still up in the air whether ghosts live in the building or not like the show has us believing. However it did have “The farm on the roof,” Weddie Stokes wrote, “included about 500 chickens, many ducks, about six goats and a small bear... Every day, a bellhop delivered free fresh eggs to all the tenants...the Ansonia had Turkish baths and a lobby fountain with live seals". Also, the Ansonia is located on the Upper West Side @West 74th and Broadway, no where near Park Ave...
I thought I had experienced some of the best amenities a NYC building could offer, however, how wrong I was :)
As the first air conditioned hotel in NYC and also having several memorable stories with the Major League Baseball... "According to New York Magazine, the plot to throw the 1919 World Series was sealed here in the apartment of the Chicago White Sox first baseman Arnold “Chick” Gandil." A few other famed past residents include Babe Ruth and Igor Stravinksy(composer as well as once boyfriend of thee Coco Chanel).
After a short debate in the 1960s, a proposal to demolish the building was fought off by its many musical and artistic residents. It was then added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Ansonia has been the filming location for Single White Female and Uptown Girls with Brittany Murphy.
Picture from Sketchingtheworld, oscarmontani and info from Wikipedia, ibtimes and cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com
