In this photo overlooking Central Park and the Upper West Side, we see the skyline of Central Park West, and most notably the Jacqueline Kenndy Onassis Reservoir stretching from 86th Street to 96th Street.
The two towers in the center of the photo are the Eldorado towers, one of the Upper West Side’s most iconic and beloved architectural landmarks. The luxury residential apartment building, located at 300 Central Park West between 90th and 91st streets, was built in 1931 by architect Emery Roth (who also built the San Remo - another twin-towered residential building located on Central Park West between 74th and 75th Streets). To the left of the Eldorado, you can see another famous residential building called the St. Urban, a 13 story co-op on West 89th Street constructed in 1906 by architect Robert Lyons, identifiable by its beautiful blue-green mansard roof. It is one of the oldest apartment buildings on Central Park West. If you look closely you can also see the rooftop of the Museum of Natural History several blocks to the left of the St. Urban, and several blocks to the left of the museum you can see the San Remo towers.
On the left side of the photo is a very tall glass skyscraper that looks like it has a beak. This building is 30 Hudson yards and the “beak” is a triangular observation deck jutting out from the 100th floor. It is the second-highest observation deck in the western hemisphere, after Toronto’s CN Tower.
Also, on the left side of the photo, nestled within the trees, you can see Belvedere Castle and the Delacorte theater. The castle sits atop the second highest elevation in the park, and in front of the castle is the theater, where the famed Shakespeare in the Park is performed.
To the right of the Reservoir is the Central Park Tennis Center. You can see the square tennis courts surrounded by trees. To the right of the tennis courts are Central Park’s North Meadow Ballfields. The road winding through the center of the park is the East Drive loop. Thankfully, the Central Park Drive loop is no longer open to cars and is used only by bikers, runners, and pedestrians, with the exception of police cars and park vehicles.
Captured on a beautiful spring evening on May 20th, 2020 at 8:24 pm.