A 1920s Hotel Lobby Hidden In An Upper West Side Apartment Building

Some time ago, I was scouting Upper West Side lobbies when I came to the apartment building at 253 W 73rd Street.

Tucked away behind the palatial Ansonia, I’d honestly never noticed it before, and decided to take a peek inside.'

At first, the entrance seemed like your typical building lobby – a desk to one side, an alcove with mailboxes beyond. Then I went a little further in…

As it turns out, the property was originally built by a group of Freemasons in 1927 known as the Levelers. The first Masonic clubhouse/hotel of its kind in the United States, the Level Club offered its members 225 bedrooms and such state-of-the-art amenities as a fully equipped gym, handball courts, “azure” swimming pool, Turkish baths, a solarium, bowling alleys, a grill, a barber shop, a manicurist, a lounge, dining rooms, a ballroom, an auditorium, a banquet hall, and a roof garden.

Read more: http://www.scoutingny.com/a-1920s-hotel-lobby-hidden-in-an-upper-west-side-apartment-building/

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