In Manhattan lore, few buildings command as much awe as 15 Central Park West (15 CPW). Completed in 2008, this limestone-clad condominium tower on Columbus Circle shattered sales records from day one. Author Michael Gross famously dubbed it “the world’s most powerful address”. Within three years of its 2005 groundbreaking, the development amassed roughly $2 billion in pre-construction sales, an unprecedented feat in New York. Even today 15 CPW’s price-per-foot leads the city, outpacing glassy newcomers on Billionaires’ Row. This guide explores why 15 CPW attained such mythic status – from its storied site history and architects’ vision to its record-setting residents and opulent amenities. Along the way, we’ll weave in practical insights for visitors and buyers alike.
From the outset 15 CPW was built to defy convention. Its sales office opened in 2006, and by early 2007 every apartment had been sold — a feat unheard-of at this price tier. The quick sellout (over $2 billion in contracts) made headlines: as one developer summary notes, the property “achieved a $2 billion sellout in 18 months, surpassing records”. With average prices above $7,000 per square foot, 15 CPW consistently tops luxury-condo lists. Even amid Manhattan’s recent tower boom, only 15 CPW has held the crown of priciest building – a testament to its enduring allure.
The iconic label “most powerful address” originated with Michael Gross. Gross documented 15 CPW’s meteoric rise in House of Outrageous Fortune (2014) and in a 2017 Business Insider profile. He observed that its mix of Wall Street titans and celebrity tenants (from Lloyd Blankfein to Sting) and record-breaking sales gave the building an almost legendary aura. In Gross’s telling, merely being a Goldman Sachs executive (the bank helped finance 15 CPW) made the building “instantly desirable” – a phenomenon he calls the “Goldman effect”. The nickname stuck. Today one hears 15 CPW hailed as the 21st century heir to pre-war greats, not by its own promoters but through the sheer weight of fact: nearly $2 billion in sales and a guest list that reads like a Who’s Who of global finance and entertainment.
On the site’s eastern half stood the Mayflower Hotel (originally the Mayflower–Plymouth), a Neo-Renaissance skyscraper hotel designed by Emery Roth and opened in 1926. With 365 rooms over 18 stories, it was not the flashiest building on CPW, but it quietly played a role in several historical episodes. In 1979, for example, Bolshoi Ballet star Alexander Godunov used its lobby as his escape route: chased by his KGB minder, he fled the hotel and sought U.S. asylum. Earlier, in the 1930s, cartoonist Pat Sullivan (creator of “Felix the Cat”) had lived in the Mayflower. Rock musicians took note too: Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox later wrote “Here Comes the Rain Again” during a stay at the hotel in 1983. Despite these stories, by the 2000s the old Mayflower had faded into obsolescence. Its ornate terra-cotta facade was stripped off in the 1980s, and by 2004 the once-proud hotel quietly disappeared to make way for the new development.
Remarkably, the land did not change hands swiftly. Starting in 1973 a Greek shipping family – the Goulandris – methodically bought each parcel on the block. By 1978 they owned the Mayflower and all adjoining lots. For years they held onto it, land-banking until Manhattan’s luxury condo boom made redevelopment lucrative. By 2001 the site’s value (with the Mayflower’s demolition already planned) was estimated at about $300 million. In 2004 the Goulandris agreed to sell the entire block to an unusual partnership: the Zeckendorf brothers (Arthur and William Lie), Goldman Sachs’s Whitehall Fund, and developer Eyal Ofer. In one of the largest Manhattan deals of its day, they paid $401 million for the site. At the time it seemed almost reckless – one contemporary account quipped that only a Zeckendorf “mystery” project could justify such a price. In hindsight it was the genesis of 15 CPW.
15 CPW’s developers were the grandsons of William Zeckendorf Sr., the famed mid-century New York builder. Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf inherited the family firm and a taste for bold ventures. They had already found success with 515 Park Avenue (a Frank Williams–designed limestone tower), and were convinced that Manhattan’s ultra-rich were craving a return to classic, pre-war luxury.
The Zeckendorf brothers grew up in real estate legend. Their grandfather financed projects like the United Nations site and built many iconic Manhattan buildings. Learning from the pitfalls of over-leverage (which eventually toppled Zeckendorf Sr.), the brothers became known for meticulously chosen, high-end projects. By the early 2000s, they were among a short list of developers with the vision (and bankroll) to re-create Manhattan’s 1920s-era apartment-building grandeur. Eyeing CPW’s full-block parcel, they saw “gold to be mined” in a traditional design for condo buyers.
In May 2004 Arthur and William Zeckendorf closed the deal on the assembled block. The $401 million purchase (split equally between the brothers’ firm, Goldman’s Whitehall, and Ofer’s group) was reported at the time as audacious. Notable rivals – Related’s Stephen Ross, Vornado’s Steve Roth, and Edward Minskoff – had also been eyeing the land, but the Zeckendorfs won out. The public reaction was skeptical: one observer said only a suicide pact could justify paying so much for an aging hotel site. The brothers, however, calculated that a palatial, pre-war–style tower could command every dollar of that price and more. Indeed, within a few years they had recovered the land cost tenfold through condo sales.
Financing the project required deep pockets. The Zeckendorfs struck a partnership with Goldman Sachs’s Whitehall Fund, and later enlisted developer Eyal Ofer’s Global Holdings to round out the syndicate. Whitehall’s involvement was crucial: Goldman executives not only provided capital, they also became early residents, helping to market the building through what Gross calls the “Goldman effect”. In effect, Goldman’s money and buyer roster pre-sold luxury credentials. In interviews the Zeckendorfs acknowledged that without Whitehall’s backing they could not have taken such a financial risk.
To design their monument, the developers chose Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA). Stern, dean of Yale’s architecture school at the time, had built a reputation as the foremost chronicler of New York’s pre-war architecture and a master of contextual classicism.
Robert Allen Stern (b. 1939) was already renowned by the 2000s. A Yale-trained architect and historian, he had designed notable high-rises like 535 Park Avenue and 220 CPSouth (another Zeckendorf project). Stern won the 2011 Driehaus Prize for classical architecture, signaling his role as a leader of contemporary traditional design. He believed new towers should “honor their context rather than reject it”. 15 CPW became a capstone of his career: a skyscraper that looks like it could have been built in 1928, complete with limestone facades and terraced setbacks.
A key inspiration was Rosario Candela, the Italian-born architect who defined New York luxury in the 1920s and ’30s. Candela’s buildings (like 740 Park Avenue) featured grand rooms, high ceilings, and restrained ornament. Stern openly paid homage: he discarded any “starchitect”-style conceit and instead made 15 CPW feel like an “heir” to those classics. Vanity Fair’s documentary on 15 CPW notes that Stern’s design “eschews the steel and glass designs of modern New York” and instead “draws inspiration from Rosario Candela”. Every detail – from the limestone material to the apartment layouts – reflects Candela’s influence.
Interestingly, the Zeckendorfs initially tapped Cesar Pelli (designer of the Petronas Towers) for 15 CPW. Early models even showed two mirrored glass towers on a stone base. But Stern proposed something radically different. His plan was not to dazzle with novelty, but to blend seamlessly with Manhattan’s beloved pre-war skyline. In Stern’s vision the 19-story “House” would mimic the ribbon of brick-and-stone apartment towers along Central Park West, while a taller “Tower” behind it would feature Art Deco–inspired setbacks and a crowning arch inspired by Candela’s work. The developers agreed: Pelli was quietly replaced by Stern mid-design. The result is a building that, as Stern put it, looks like it “had always belonged” on this storied boulevard.
15 CPW is essentially two connected buildings, each with its own character and purpose. RAMSA’s site plan and massing detail how these volumes work together and why they look so convincing among older neighbors.
As designed, 15 CPW splits into The House and The Tower. The House is a 19-story structure fronting Central Park West, measuring about 231 feet tall. It continues the “palisade” of block-long apartment houses that line the park – the same visual fabric that includes the Century, Majestic, and others. Behind and slightly offset is The Tower, a soaring 35-story building on the Broadway side (570–625 ft tall, counting unnumbered floors). Its podium aligns with Broadway, but its set-back body was styled to harmonize with Park West’s mid-block skyline. A 70-foot-wide planted courtyard separates the two, creating breathing room and privacy. In effect, Stern conceived a “dual personality” tower: one leg rooted in Central Park, the other reaching higher above the city.
The low-rise House was designed as a classic Park West apartment building. Its limestone-and-brick facade is punctuated by deep, terraced setbacks and French balconies, echoing 1920s standards. With only 2–4 units per floor, it maintains a low-scale, old-fashioned intimacy. The top floor, number 20 (since some numbers are skipped), is a full-floor penthouse wrapped by an 86-foot terrace. The House’s interior lobby is paneled in rich wood with marble trims and twin fireplaces, evoking an Art Deco hotel. Notably, each elevator bank here serves just two apartments, so residents step off into a private foyer – a luxury rarely seen in modern high-rises.
Rising behind the House is the Tower, whose height varies (the central core is numbered to 43 but the roof is around 550 ft). Its southern face punctures the skyline at Columbus Circle, but its materials and setback shapes recall the “Century, San Remo, Eldorado” trio just north. At the top, Stern created a crown — an asymmetrical arch of limestone columns and copper-clad vaults — as a modern riff on Candela’s design for 1040 Fifth Avenue. From street level one sees a narrow setback flank with projecting bays and balconies toward the park, while the Broadway side has paired storefronts at the base for retail. Like the House, the Tower uses elevator pods serving two units each, an arrangement that maximizes privacy and reduces corridor length.
Between the two volumes stretches a sunken courtyard 70 ft wide and 200 ft long, paved in cobblestone and centered on a stone fountain. This private motor court on 61st Street doubles as a valet area and arrival drive. A copper-roofed oval pavilion marks the entrance, adjoining The House’s round-corner lobby. Importantly, the reflecting pool in the courtyard serves as a skylight for the 75-foot lap pool two stories below in the fitness center. Residents’ cars and chauffeurs pull into this gated court, though building management eventually discouraged drivers from waiting on the street outside (they had spilled onto Central Park West). An east–west pedestrian arcade beside the fountain provides access to a private garden north of the pavilion. The landscaped garden, dotted with trees and lawns, can be opened for extra seating at the dining room during summer – a clever way to merge indoor and outdoor amenity space.
The choice of limestone was both aesthetic and symbolic. As Stern’s team noted, limestone “has made it the material of choice for New York’s most important buildings”. Every inch of 15 CPW’s facade – roughly 85,000 to 87,000 stone panels – came from the same Indiana quarry used for the Empire State Building. The panels vary subtly in hue (buff to gray) to avoid monotony. On site this translates to a softly mottled exterior that catches light like the classic apartment houses of old. The massing includes hundreds of thin horizontal bands and deep-set windows, giving the impression of hand-laid masonry rather than a slick high-rise.
Inside, 15 CPW was engineered for family living, not as a pied-à-terre tower. There are 202 total apartments (originally 201; the numbering changed slightly) ranging from one-bedroom suites to full-floor five-bedroom units. Stern insisted on high ceilings – nearly every floor has 10–14 foot ceilings (75% of units have 11+ feet) – to mimic pre-war proportions. Floor plans are generous: kitchens and living rooms were scaled for entertaining, with separate formal dining areas. Many apartments have servants’ quarters or bonuses, a feature vanishingly rare in new builds. Windows are maximized, with projecting bay windows and deep terraces at setbacks, so that virtually every room enjoys multi-directional views of the city. For example, the long penthouse terrace atop The House stretches 282 feet (almost the length of a football field). In short, Stern packed traditional luxury unit layouts into a modern tower.
Building 15 CPW was a massive undertaking. The developers broke ground in spring 2005. Eager buyers poured in deposits even before the first steel was set, largely because of the building’s pedigree and pre-fabricated pricing. The entire construction took about three years, with completion late 2007/early 2008 – just in time for the Great Recession.
The construction and land together cost roughly $1 billion. This included specialized imports (limestone slabs, custom elevator cabs, and lavish interiors). Remarkably, that billion was recouped twice over on paper even before the first tenant moved in. Luxury apartment sales rang up nearly $2 billion in contracts during the pre-construction phase. By mid-2007, high-net-worth buyers had agreed to purchase every unit. This $2 billion figure (far above any previous NYC condo record) cemented 15 CPW’s image as a new benchmark of wealth. As one contemporary report noted, even before opening the building was “an amazing $2 billion” in sales.
The timing could not have been more fortunate. As the credit crunch struck in late 2008, nearly all 15 CPW’s apartments were already sold and funded. This insulated the building from the price collapse that hit the rest of the market. In fact, 15 CPW continued to see new record sales even during the downturn. A 2011 documentary observes that “even during the Great Recession of 2008, one new apartment house in New York City continued to set the bar for real-estate prices: 15 Central Park West.”. In essence, the project’s paid-up reservation lists proved recession-proof. Some large loans on unsold units were a rarity: almost everyone who signed on in 2005 actually closed their purchase. The result is that, unlike many high-end condos, 15 CPW never suffered a post-crash markdown. By 2009 its values had quietly reset the ceiling higher than ever.
15 CPW was designed not merely as an apartment building but as a private country club in the sky. Its amenity roster reads like a wish list for Forbes 30-under-30 billionaires. The developers pioneered features that have since become standard for trophy residences.
No expense was spared inside the 202 homes of 15 CPW. Floor plans were crafted to evoke old-world graciousness, with every modern luxury baked in.
The building contains 201 distinct units (the numbering was later adjusted to 202). These range from modest one-bedroom flats to enormous penthouses. Over 75 unique floor plans exist across the two towers, ensuring no two apartments feel generic. Roughly one-third of the homes have three or more bedrooms, making the building popular with families. Grand multi-room layouts – with libraries, staff suites, and formal dining rooms – recall the grandest Candela or Warren & Wetmore designs. From a one-bedroom starter unit to an 8-bedroom full-floor penthouse, 15 CPW set out to accommodate every level of luxury buyer.
Certain high-end details recur throughout the apartments:
It’s useful to note how the two sections differ for buyers. The House (Park side) has only 2–4 apartments per floor, so each is very spacious (often spanning the full width of the building) and commands a premium price. The Tower (Broadway side) typically has more units per floor on the same square footage, making its condos slightly smaller and thus a bit more affordable per square foot. In practice, House residences (with extra frontage on the Park) sell for the highest prices in the building. Both structures share identical service and finish levels, but savvy buyers might trade a Park view for the Tower’s higher level options at 1–2 thousand dollars less per foot.
15 CPW’s sales history reads like a ledger of NY real estate milestones. The building set several city records for both aggregate and individual transactions.
Unlike many trophy condos, 15 CPW never saw bargain basement auctions in the downturn. Because all apartments were sold at premium prices before 2008, their values largely held firm. Observers note that even during the recession, resales often matched or slightly undercut pre-crash levels – remarkable when peers dropped 20–30%. For example, when Jeff Gordon and wife sold their three-bedroom unit in 2013 for $25 million, it was still double the $9.67 million they paid in 2007. The “Goldman effect” helped: many deep-pocketed buyers simply held onto investments through 2009 and 2010. By 2013 press accounts were describing 15 CPW as fully recovered, with prices back to their peaks.
15 CPW set several per-square-foot records. Blankfein’s $25.7 M duplex ($25.7M/4000 ft= ~$6,425/sq ft) and Weill’s $43.7M ($6,467/sq ft) were early benchmarks. The $88 M sale equated to ~$13,333/sq ft. (By comparison, at that moment the previous Manhattan high had been ~$8,000/sq ft.) Even smaller units saw high per-foot sales: CityRealty reported 15 CPW leading NYC condo PPSF charts in 2016–2017, with an overall average of $7,227/ft. The building’s three highest PPSF sales in 2017 all belonged to 15 CPW. These figures helped cement its reputation. In short, not only did 15 CPW break total-sales records, it repeatedly broke the per-foot records that define luxury markets.
A key part of 15 CPW’s mystique is its glittering roster of occupants. Wall Street billionaires, media moguls, and Hollywood stars all wanted in. We list a few of the most publicized:
Overall, the resident list spans finance, media, sports, and entertainment. While published profiles focus on a few billionaires, the building’s residents also include international tycoons and founders of tech firms (though most prefer privacy). According to press interviews, even a limo driver or concierge would hesitate to name all the names — the building essentially functions as a fortress for the ultra-wealthy.
No discussion of 15 CPW is complete without mentioning 740 Park Avenue, its self-styled East Side rival. Both are limestone-clad icons of wealth, but they differ in key ways.
Location: 740 Park (built 1930) is on the Upper East Side at 71st Street. 15 CPW is on the Upper West Side at 61st, overlooking Columbus Circle. One is a co-op building; the other is a condominium.
Co-op vs. Condo: 740 Park has famously been a cooperative – meaning residents own shares in the corporation and must pass strict board approval. 15 CPW, by contrast, is a condominium: buyers own individual units outright and can finance purchases with mortgages. This structural difference has practical effects. For example, 740 Park’s board has long had near-legendary discretion over purchasers (it once famously turned down the designer Calvin Klein). Buying at 15 CPW requires condo-board approval, but no big share swap or lifetime commitment. Also, co-op maintenance fees (including taxes) tend to be higher than condo common charges. (By one report, 15 CPW’s common charges run only about $2.00–$2.10 per square foot, whereas a comparable 740 co-op might be over twice that.)
Architectural Style: Both buildings draw on pre-war elegance, but 15 CPW is newly built in 2008 with modern conveniences. 740 Park is a classic Art Deco design by Rosario Candela and Arthur Loomis Harmon, with just 31 (mostly full-floor) apartments. Its interiors have the enormous rooms and low-density character of the 1920s. 15 CPW was meant to echo 740’s spirit – high ceilings, large rooms – but in more units. Comparisons are inevitable: magazines have called 15 CPW the long-awaited successor to the “legendary” 740 Park. In reality, 15 CPW has wider hallways, private amenities and is more technologically outfitted, while 740 offers co-op exclusivity and historic cachet (Hugh Hefner once said owning 740 is like being on the “Board of Governors” of New York).
Which is More Exclusive? Opinions vary. 740 Park’s co-op board famously weeds out many high-profile buyers (reportedly rejecting some bankers and celebrities), which preserves an aura of strict exclusivity. 15 CPW’s condo board is less onerous – indeed it attracted many who either couldn’t get into 740 or preferred financing. Some observers say 15 CPW is today’s trophy of choice precisely because it has more modern creature comforts and prestigious amenities. Still, in certain social circles 740 Park’s legacy (Rockefellers, Onassis, and a line of Nixon-era financiers) carries old-school weight that 15 CPW, as a newcomer, is only beginning to match. In terms of price per square foot, however, 15 CPW has generally exceeded 740’s, reflecting the market’s premium for condos right now.
Beyond 740 Park, 15 CPW is often compared to the new supertall condos of Billionaires’ Row (432 Park Avenue, 220 Central Park South, One57, etc.). Those ultra-slender towers stake their value on height and panoramic views. 15 CPW stakes its on-taste and location.
15 Central Park West’s address is part of its story. It stands at the junction of several cultural and commercial hubs.
Since its completion, 15 Central Park West has loomed large in books, films, and the psyche of luxury real estate.
For prospective buyers or their advisors, 15 Central Park West presents a unique market. Here are practical points drawn from current listings and building data:
Q: Who designed 15 Central Park West?
A: It was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA). Stern’s team created the New Classical limestone towers, working closely with the Zeckendorf developers. Robert A.M. Stern (1939–2025) was a Yale-trained architect and former dean of Yale’s School of Architecture, known for infusing modern buildings with classical style.
Q: What was on the site before 15 CPW?
A: Until 2004 the site was largely occupied by the Mayflower–Plymouth Hotel (opened 1926, designed by Emery Roth) and some vacant lots. The Goulandris family had assembled the block by the 1970s. The full-block site was cleared after the Zeckendorf purchase, making way for the new construction.
Q: Why is 15 CPW called “the most powerful address”?
A: The label comes from author Michael Gross and refers to the sheer sum and star-power of its residents and sales. By 2007 the building had $2 billion in signed contracts, a record, and attracted dozens of billionaires. Commentators argue that simply having multiple Goldman Sachs CEOs, hedge-fund billionaires, and famous actors made the address immensely prestigious.
Q: What is the difference between The House and The Tower?
A: In brief, The House (19 stories) faces Central Park West and has just 2–4 apartments per floor. It thus feels more exclusive and commands higher prices. The Tower (35+ stories) rises on 61st Street behind it, with more units on each floor (thus a denser layout). Both sections share finishes and amenities, but House units typically come with slightly higher price tags due to park views and lower density.
Q: How did 15 CPW perform during the 2008 financial crisis?
A: It largely weathered the storm. Since nearly all apartments were sold by 2007, the building avoided the foreclosure/liquidation cycle that afflicted many condo projects. In fact, even as Manhattan prices dipped 2008–09, 15 CPW’s values remained near peak. A 2011 documentary notes that “even during the Great Recession of 2008, one new apartment house in New York City continued to set the bar for real-estate prices: 15 Central Park West”. Owners had mostly bought in cash or secured financing before the crash, so the project’s bottom line stayed strong.
Q: Does 15 Central Park West have its own restaurant?
A: Yes – uniquely, 15 CPW features a private residents’-only restaurant and dining room staffed by an in-house chef. This amenity was a pioneering perk (opened in 2008) that set it apart from other luxury condos. Owners can reserve the elegant dining room for personal events, with table service provided by building staff.
Q: What are the building’s maintenance/ common charges?
A: As of recent reports, monthly common charges are about $2.00–$2.10 per square foot, and property taxes add another $1.30–$1.40 per square foot. (For example, a 3,000 sq ft apartment would incur roughly $10,000–$11,000 per month for charges plus taxes, before financing costs.) These fees cover all utilities, building staff, and amenities.
Q: Is 15 CPW more exclusive than 740 Park?
A: They serve overlapping markets but have different dynamics. 740 Park Avenue is a historic co-op with a famously selective board. 15 CPW is a more modern condo with a less insular vetting process. Both are very exclusive in practice, but many find 15 CPW slightly easier to buy into (thanks to mortgage financing and residency flexibility). In terms of prices, 15 CPW’s apex sales have generally exceeded 740’s, though 740 still holds the mystique of old-money lineage.
