In 1902 the property that The Langham stands on was owned by the same family, the Clarks, who owned the prestigious
Dakota. The Clark family acquired the property during a period from 1880–1884 when they acquired numerous properties, including the site of The Dakota. The building is currently owned by the
Manocherian family. Located at what is now 135 Central Park West, The Langham occupies the blockfront between West 73rd and 74th Streets. The location remained vacant until the Clark family liquidated it in 1902. At first the property would not sell because they had placed an
unusual restriction on it, no building built could exceed the height of The Dakota, which stands across 73rd Street. Apparently, the Clarks could not sell the site with the restriction in place as the sale deed from later in 1902 indicated only a standard "restriction on
stables and
billboards." The site was purchased by Abraham Boehm and Lewis Coon but remained vacant until 1904. Architects Clinton and Russell, working for Boehm and Coon, filed plans for a US$2 million building in 1904. The reporting from
The New York Times lavished praise upon the building when it opened, noting among its modern amenities "
real ice." In each
icebox is an extra coil of pipe, through which a freezing mixture circulates, so that if a tenant wants a piece of real ice, without going to the
trust for it, all he has to do is fill a small metal pan with water, place it within the coil, and in a few minutes its contents will be
frozen solid. (Emphasis original).
Maureen O'Sullivan and her daughter
Mia Farrow,
Robert Ryan,
Basil Rathbone and
Carly Simon. The building has cinematic appearances in
Love at First Bite, and in the movie
Hannah and Her Sisters scenes were filmed inside the apartment of
Maureen O'Sullivan and
Mia Farrow. In 2006 the building was put up for sale. A writer for the
New York Sun reported that estimates of the price went as high as $600 million. ==Architecture==