Majestic Apartments
The twin towers of the Majestic Apartments are two of the most noteworthy monuments to the Central Park West skyline. The limestone and brick building was built in the Art Deco style, which was quite popular at the time. The majestic was built on the site of the old majestic hotel by powerful developer Irwin S. Chanin. Chanin also built the Chanin office building on East 42nd Street. The building was constructed in the first years of the Great Depression, and much of the design of the building had to be changed to accommodate the dismal financial situation of the country. Architect Jacques Delamarre had to rework his original plan to build gigantic and opulent ten room apartments on each floor. Instead, the apartments were converted into smaller six room units. Early in its history, the majestic played host to notorious gangsters Lucky Luciano and Frank Costello. Costello possessed a seventeen-room penthouse suite in one of the towers and was shot in the lobby of the building by Vincent “The Chin” Gigante.
The infamous villain in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial was once a carpenter who worked on the building. Allegedly, he stashed some of the ransom money in the walls of the building.
photo by 
photo by 