The 23-floor building was erected in 1926-1927 as a cooperative with 77 apartments, but today it has only 64 units.[5] Developer Joseph Paterno initially opted to list the building as an apartment-hotel so as to legally build 23 stories as opposed to only 15 stories restricted for apartment houses.[6] The building has a notable red-tiled steep-pitched roof, making it visible from a long distance. When it was built, The Real Estate Record & Guide praised the $1 million building's "unusually striking upper-floor effect."[7]