Fire Breaks Out In Upper West Side Landmark Building: FDNY

UPPER WEST SIDE, NEW YORK — A fire broke out in the third floor of a historical luxury apartment building on Friday morning, fire officials said.

FDNY was called to the seven-story building at 214 Riverside Dr. at 10:24 a.m. Crews were still battling the fire about 20 minutes later, an FDNY spokesman said. There were no injuries reported at the time.

The building, which is designated as a landmark, originally built in the early 20th century with just two apartments per floor has since been subdivided into 15 apartments on each of its seven floors, according to a New York Architecture website. Apartments in the building now go for around $625,000, according to a recent listing.

The building's website recounts a history of "murder, suicide, crime, disasters, political intrigue" at the address in its century on the corner of Riverside and W 94th Street.

Noteworthy residents have included J. Cleveland Cady, the architect of the Metropolitan Opera House and part of the Museum of Natural History, and novelist John Dos Passos. The building is also rumored to be the site of two murders during the 1960s and 70s, the website says.

The website also recalls two fires in the 1970s, one that killed a resident and another that "destroyed the inside of the building."