680 Park Ave

About 680 Park Avenue  

The historic home of Americas Society/Council of the Americas at 680 Park Avenue was originally the residence of prominent New York financier Percy Rivington Pyne from 1911 to 1946. Built by architects McKim, White, and Mead in 1906–1911 in neo-Federalist style, the house anchors one of Manhattan’s last architecturally unified rows, situated on Park Avenue between 68th and 69th Streets. 

After World War II, the family sold the house to the Chinese government, which within weeks resold it to the Soviet Union. The house then served as the Soviet Mission to the UN from 1946 until 1965, hosting important twentieth-century figures as Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.  

In 1965, the Marquesa de Cuevas, a member of the Rockefeller family, purchased the building to save it from demolition and, in 1966, donated it to Americas Society, then known as the Center for Inter-American Relations.  

The architectural firm of Walker O. Cain & Associates directed restoration of the interior in the style of the original building. 680 Park was designated a New York City Landmark in 1970 and is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. Since becoming the home of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, it has welcomed heads of state, business leaders, artists, and opinion makers from throughout the Western Hemisphere to meet and dialogue about the most pressing issues facing the continent. 

680 Park Avenue

680 Park Avenue

Salon Bolivar at 680 Park Avenue

Salon Bolivar at 680 Park Avenue

Incas Room at 680 Park Avenue

Incas Room at 680 Park Avenue

Mexican Room at 680 Park Avenue

Mexican Room at 680 Park Avenue

We can host 120 people for seated dinners or 200 for cocktail receptions. (Photo: Kathi Littwin)

We can host 120 people for seated dinners or 200 for cocktail receptions. (Photo: Kathi Littwin)

680 Park Avenue in 1906.

680 Park Avenue in 1906.

680 Park Avenue
Salon Bolivar at 680 Park Avenue
Incas Room at 680 Park Avenue
Mexican Room at 680 Park Avenue
We can host 120 people for seated dinners or 200 for cocktail receptions. (Photo: Kathi Littwin)
680 Park Avenue in 1906.

 

Restoring a historic townhouse

After a 2012 building-condition report uncovered urgent renovation needs, Americas Society launched an ambitious program to complete the exterior restoration of the building, including the replacement of the slate roof, façade work, restoration of the entrance portico, and replacement of all 98 original windows of the building. This work, directed by Ivan Brice Architecture, received capital funding from the New York City Council and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. 

Over the past decade, Americas Society/Council of the Americas has also undertaken the renovation of the building’s interior spaces, including reopening the gallery’s street-level windows to allow natural light to flood the exhibition space; modernizing the lobby, kitchen, and restrooms; and restoring the second and third floors’ salons, the three-level sweeping staircase, and the nineteenth-century Incas Room scenic wallpaper to original splendor.

Hosting your event at 680 Park Ave

A breathtaking marble foyer welcomes you to the house. The grand, sweeping staircase takes you to the second floor. The Salon Simón Bolivar and its adjacent dining room are decorated with crystal chandeliers and sconces, antique gilt-frame mirrors, a 15-foot-high medallioned ceiling inset with original oil paintings, custom loomed rugs, and luxurious French silk fabric walls and draperies frame 10-foot windows. The Salon is ideal for wedding ceremonies and cocktail parties as well as sit-down dinners. 

The rooms are unified by original wide plank wood flooring and rich Italian marble base molding. Each room boasts an impressive marble fireplace. A Steinway baby grand piano is available for your event at no charge. 

Adjacent to the Salon and accessed through French doors is the inviting and intimate wood-paneled Mexican Room, which features a vaulted ceiling and contains antique furniture and decorative items. The original black and cream marble fireplace is a focal point of the space. This room provides a comfortable setting for quiet conversations during your event and is also ideal for serving cocktails, coffee, and dessert. 

Our kitchen is spacious, immaculate, and fully equipped with a double oven six-burner range with a griddle and salamander, double sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, full-size freezer, eight-rack heated proofer, and ample counter space. Caterers love it. 

We can accommodate up to 120 guests at seated dinners, weddings, or luncheons with space for music and dancing. Approximately 200 can be entertained at cocktail receptions. 

To learn more about space rental for your event, please contact Claribel Colon: ccolon@as-coa.org 

Accessibility

The entrance to our landmark historic building is wheelchair accessible by ramp—available upon request on site or in advance by contacting ccolon@as-coa.org and receptionist@as-coa.org or 212-249-8950. Our ground floor art gallery and restrooms, as well as our public program spaces on the second and third floors, are all fully accessible; the latter two by our accessible elevator with Braille numbering for identifying floors. 

To request ASL interpretation or any other access accommodation, please contact Michelle Maydanchik at least one week in advance of your visit. 

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