The Osborne

The Osborne
Southeast corner as seen in 2021
General information
Type	Housing cooperative
Architectural style	Italian Renaissance
Address	205 West 57th Street
Town or city	New York City
Country	United States
Coordinates	40°45′57″N 73°58′49″W / 40.76583°N 73.98028°W / 40.76583; -73.98028
Construction started	1883
Completed	1885
Renovated	1891, 1906, 1962
Technical details
Structural system	Masonry bearing wall; steel-framed annex
Floor count	11 (front) 15 (rear)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	James Edward Ware
Main contractor	Thomas Osborne
Osborne Apartments
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 1770
Location	205 West 57th Street, Manhattan, New York
Built	1883
Architect	James E. Ware
Architectural style	Renaissance, Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	93000333
NYSRHP No.	06101.006761
NYCL No.	1770
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 22, 1993[3]
Designated NYSRHP	March 16, 1993[1]
Designated NYCL	August 13, 1991[2]

The Osborne, also known as the Osborne Apartments or 205 West 57th Street, is an apartment building at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The original portion of the Osborne was designed by James Edward Ware and constructed from 1883 to 1885. An annex to the west, designed by Alfred S. G. Taylor and Julian Clarence Levi, was constructed in 1906. The Osborne is one of the oldest extant luxury apartment buildings in New York City.

The Osborne's facade is clad in rusticated blocks of brownstone, with a main entrance on 57th Street and a variety of window configurations. The first floor has an elaborate foyer and lobby, while the other floors contain apartments in duplex arrangements. The southern section of the building, facing 57th Street, is 11 stories tall and originally contained main living spaces with high ceilings. The northern section, at the rear of the building, is 15 stories tall and contained the bedrooms and servant's rooms. The Osborne was originally built with 38 apartments, although many of these units were gradually subdivided starting in the early 1920s.

The building's namesake was the stone contractor Thomas Osborne, who had acquired the land in 1883 from restaurateur John Taylor, constructing the building as a speculative investment. The $2 million construction cost forced Thomas Osborne into foreclosure, leading Taylor's family to acquire the building in 1889. The Taylors sold the Osborne in 1961, and it was turned into a housing cooperative the next year. Throughout its history, the Osborne has housed many artists, actors, and musicians, as well as upper-middle-class residents such as doctors and lawyers. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a city landmark in 1991, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.