The Belnord

The Belnord is a limestone fortress that spans an entire city block on the Upper West Side. When it was completed in 1909, it was hailed as the largest apartment building in the country. Its design, by the firm Hiss and Weekes, was a direct response to the growth of New York as a city of apartment living. Instead of traditional street-facing entrances, the building was constructed around a massive, twenty-two thousand square foot interior courtyard. This private garden served as a quiet, landscaped oasis for residents, shielded from the noise of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. The dual-gated driveway was originally designed so that carriages could enter, drop off passengers in the courtyard, and exit without ever needing to reverse.