WSJ Valeri Artzt Cathy Taub 112013
NY REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL
A Photographer's Windows on the Park, Parade Combined Apartments Have 63 feet of Frontage on Central Park Nov. 26, 2013 9:20 p.m. ET
Joan Baron has traveled the world taking pictures, but one of her favorite vistas is the sweeping view of Central Park from her apartment, where she has a front-row seat for the Thanksgiving Day Parade as it marches down Central Park West. With a love of taking pictures that started in her childhood, Mrs. Baron began a career of photography after her first trip to Africa in 1967 with her husband, Howard, an avid hunter. Photos: Photographer's Views of the Park and Parade View Slideshow
View of the double width living room in Joan Baron's 13th floor apartment at 75 Central Park West in Manhattan. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal "He wanted me to have something to do as well, so he bought me a Hasselblad [camera] and off we went," she said. On her return, a friend viewed her stack of pictures and convinced her to have an exhibition. Mrs. Baron soon made a name for herself with her scenes of animals in their natural habitat. "Nobody sets it up—it just looks magnificent," said Mrs. Baron of shooting in the wild. Even from behind, "they look gorgeous because they turn around and peek at us, looking at them," she said. She returned to Africa four times and traveled elsewhere for her photography. Photos from a trip to the Soviet Union in the 1980s were featured in a show called "Faces of Our Enemies" in Washington, D.C. "A hobby turned into a business," she said.
Mrs. Baron, 82 years old, and her husband were married for more than 60 years before he died three years ago. They both grew up in New York City and after several years spent in Teaneck. N.J., they moved back to Manhattan when their four children were grown. Initially the couple lived on Park Avenue, but Mrs. Baron, who was raised on the Upper West Side, found her apartment "confining" and the neighborhood too quiet. She said she tired of having to dress up to take her Dalmatian on a walk. In 1981, the couple purchased a 13th-floor apartment with a fireplace and direct views of Central Park in the Rosaria Candela-designed building at 75 Central Park West. They embarked on a renovation that included updating the wiring, plumbing, bathrooms and kitchen, dropping the ceiling and enlarging the windows. Enlarge Image
A souvenir from Mrs. Baron's travels. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal In 2007, they purchased the neighboring apartment, combining the two into a space of about 3,300 square feet, with three bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms and 63 feet of frontage on the park, according to the listing. The combined apartment was listed in October with Valerie Jan Artzt and Cathy Taub of Stribling & Associates for $9.59 million after being listed earlier this year with another brokerage for $10 million. Creating one space resulted in direct access to the apartment from an elevator, as well as two living-room areas with adjacent fireplaces. (Mrs. Baron hopes to create a "grand living space" were disrupted when they discovered the building's fireplace flues were housed in the wall separating the two living rooms.) Mirror elements feature in the backsplash of the kitchen, and in the walls and ceiling of the master bathroom, to capture the light and views. Enlarge Image
The dining room and other rooms. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal "The view, to me, is the most important part of the apartment," said Mrs. Baron, who repositioned a bathtub in the master bathroom during the first renovation so that it sat against the windows. The views also provided some unconventional entertainment. Liz Hogan, Mrs. Baron's daughter who lives with her mother, recalls her children being greatly entertained at the holidays by a woman in a neighboring building who was prone to wrapping her Christmas presents while naked. "The kids loved it," said Mrs. Baron, who believes the woman no longer lives there. "She probably died of overexposure," Mrs. Baron quipped. The family is selling to downsize and because Mrs. Baron would like a change of space. But she will leave with numerous photographs of scenes from her windows, such as parade floats moving slowly down Central Park West, a red hawk visiting her window ledge and her cats staring out at a rain-lashed Central Park. "If you're a photographer and you have the view, the camera is always there," Mrs. Baron said. Write to Jackie Bischof at [email protected]
A Photographer's Windows on the Park, Parade Combined Apartments Have 63 feet of Frontage on Central Park Nov. 26, 2013 9:20 p.m. ET
Joan Baron has traveled the world taking pictures, but one of her favorite vistas is the sweeping view of Central Park from her apartment, where she has a front-row seat for the Thanksgiving Day Parade as it marches down Central Park West. With a love of taking pictures that started in her childhood, Mrs. Baron began a career of photography after her first trip to Africa in 1967 with her husband, Howard, an avid hunter. Photos: Photographer's Views of the Park and Parade View Slideshow
View of the double width living room in Joan Baron's 13th floor apartment at 75 Central Park West in Manhattan. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal "He wanted me to have something to do as well, so he bought me a Hasselblad [camera] and off we went," she said. On her return, a friend viewed her stack of pictures and convinced her to have an exhibition. Mrs. Baron soon made a name for herself with her scenes of animals in their natural habitat. "Nobody sets it up—it just looks magnificent," said Mrs. Baron of shooting in the wild. Even from behind, "they look gorgeous because they turn around and peek at us, looking at them," she said. She returned to Africa four times and traveled elsewhere for her photography. Photos from a trip to the Soviet Union in the 1980s were featured in a show called "Faces of Our Enemies" in Washington, D.C. "A hobby turned into a business," she said.
Mrs. Baron, 82 years old, and her husband were married for more than 60 years before he died three years ago. They both grew up in New York City and after several years spent in Teaneck. N.J., they moved back to Manhattan when their four children were grown. Initially the couple lived on Park Avenue, but Mrs. Baron, who was raised on the Upper West Side, found her apartment "confining" and the neighborhood too quiet. She said she tired of having to dress up to take her Dalmatian on a walk. In 1981, the couple purchased a 13th-floor apartment with a fireplace and direct views of Central Park in the Rosaria Candela-designed building at 75 Central Park West. They embarked on a renovation that included updating the wiring, plumbing, bathrooms and kitchen, dropping the ceiling and enlarging the windows. Enlarge Image
A souvenir from Mrs. Baron's travels. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal In 2007, they purchased the neighboring apartment, combining the two into a space of about 3,300 square feet, with three bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms and 63 feet of frontage on the park, according to the listing. The combined apartment was listed in October with Valerie Jan Artzt and Cathy Taub of Stribling & Associates for $9.59 million after being listed earlier this year with another brokerage for $10 million. Creating one space resulted in direct access to the apartment from an elevator, as well as two living-room areas with adjacent fireplaces. (Mrs. Baron hopes to create a "grand living space" were disrupted when they discovered the building's fireplace flues were housed in the wall separating the two living rooms.) Mirror elements feature in the backsplash of the kitchen, and in the walls and ceiling of the master bathroom, to capture the light and views. Enlarge Image
The dining room and other rooms. Adrienne Grunwald for The Wall Street Journal "The view, to me, is the most important part of the apartment," said Mrs. Baron, who repositioned a bathtub in the master bathroom during the first renovation so that it sat against the windows. The views also provided some unconventional entertainment. Liz Hogan, Mrs. Baron's daughter who lives with her mother, recalls her children being greatly entertained at the holidays by a woman in a neighboring building who was prone to wrapping her Christmas presents while naked. "The kids loved it," said Mrs. Baron, who believes the woman no longer lives there. "She probably died of overexposure," Mrs. Baron quipped. The family is selling to downsize and because Mrs. Baron would like a change of space. But she will leave with numerous photographs of scenes from her windows, such as parade floats moving slowly down Central Park West, a red hawk visiting her window ledge and her cats staring out at a rain-lashed Central Park. "If you're a photographer and you have the view, the camera is always there," Mrs. Baron said. Write to Jackie Bischof at [email protected]
