3. The Leopard at des Artistes

The Leopard occupies the storied space at 1 West 67th Street, that once housed Café des Artistes in the 1917  George Mort Pollard Gothic designed Hotel des Artistes. It was said to be the largest studio building in the world, when it was completed, and was the fifth studio building on the block.

The Café des Artistes was created to provide meals for residents of the Hotel des Artistes, many of whose apartments had no kitchens, but who would buy their own ingredients for the chefs to prepare. In the 1920s, American illustrator, and Hotel des Artistes resident, Howard Chandler Christy, painted a series of nine murals, entitled  “Fantasy Scenes with Naked Beauties,” on the walls of the restaurant. In August 2009, Café des Artistes closed and in May 2011, the Leopard opened.