History
It was built in 1927 incorporating a blend of Italian Renaissance, Late Gothic Revival, and Islamic decorative elements. It is a 23-story steel frame building encased in concrete and faced in salmon-colored brick with limestone and terra cotta decorative elements.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
For most of its existence, it operated as a residential hotel for women, with no men allowed above the ground floor, and strict dress and conduct rules were enforced. The hotel became a more standard hotel when it began admitting men as guests in 1981. In 2002, a $40 million renovation was completed and the name was changed to The Melrose Hotel. In 2005 the hotel closed and the building was gutted and rebuilt for condominium use and renamed Barbizon 63.
Even after the condo renovation, there are still 13 women living under the old arrangements at the hotel due to rent control.
The building includes a large indoor pool which is today part of an Equinox Fitness Club, and air rights to adjacent properties were purchased when the building was constructed, ensuring plenty of light and unimpeded views for the upper floors.
Read more about this topic: Barbizon 63
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