BY: STEPHEN SMITH ON SEPTEMBER 24TH 2014 AT 3:00 PM
251 West 14th Street (center), image from Google Street View
Back in July, we lamented the somewhat tepid growth along West 14th Street in Manhattan, whose lackluster brownstones belie its importance as one of Manhattan’s most important and transit-accessible crosstown corridors. The zoning unfortunately does not allow any towers to sprout, but as redevelopment pressure grows, we’re starting to see some mid-rises pop up.
An 11-story condo building at 251 West 14th Street, on the north side of the street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, should be among them, if a new building application from yesterday comes to fruition. Submitted by Eran Chen’s ODA Architecture – whose signature boxy style is getting a lot of attention from New York City developers, bringing upscale modernism to neighborhoods from East Harlem to Williamsburg, and everything in between – the permit filing calls for 11 units spread over nearly 20,000 square feet of net residential space, for an average apartment size of around 1,775 square feet, with no parking or commercial space for the 24-foot lot.
The permit was filed on behalf of Ilan Bracha, chairman of Keller Williams’s New York franchise, and Haim Binstock. Their website describes a 10-story building planned for the site with full-floor apartments and a penthouse duplex. While it makes no mention of whether the property will be condos or rentals, the market and unit sizes strongly suggest to us that it will be the former.
The site is currently home to a 4.5-story Spanish Colonial walk-up, purchased earlier this year from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard (on the south side of West 14th, between Eighth and Ninth avenues) for $7.5 million. A demolition permit for the structure has yet to be filed.
While 11 stories is still not befitting of West 14th Street’s stature or context – there’s a 20-story pre-war office building right on the corner – ODA’s project will still be a big step up from what’s there now.
A quirky new 11-story tower whose penthouse cantilevers over some of 14th St.'s nearly century-old tenements is set to launch sales this fall, its developers told the Daily News.
The new building, at 251 W. 14th St. just slightly east of Eighth Ave., will replace a faded four-story property that was built in the 1920s. Developer B+B Capital, headed by Ilan Bracha and Haim Binstock, snagged the site for $7.5 million last year from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“This boutique property is located in what is considered to be one of the most vibrant and trendy areas currently in Manhattan, and is around the corner from Google’s New York City headquarters,” said Ilan Bracha, co-founder of B+B Capital. “This is a strong neighborhood to invest in.”
ODA Architects, the firm behind the design of Tribeca’s 93 Worth St. and 15 Renwick St., masterminded the experimental design.
The apartments range in size from 1,700 square feet to 2,500 square feet and include a duplex penthouse with outdoor space. All come with access to a rooftop terrace, a common living room lobby and bike storage.
But the design has changed from ODA’s periscope to something which fits a bit better with it’s neighbors. I kinda liked the periscope as ridiculous as it was.
The original design has been refined down to a simpler overall shape; but this is actually a more attractive look.
They are building a condo that looks ‘better’ than most designs; it is creative, edgy, interesting and that is only the “looks”. The interior spaces are spacious, plenty of natural light/views, good floor plans; this is good design in both form and function.
The building next to this on the left (west side) of this building provides a perfect comparison; that is a typical generic residential building design - nice enough, but nothing special.
Good to see this is moving forward, and soon to be completed.
It’s sad that a site like this in the middle of Manhattan, well-served by transit and bikeable/walkable to so many jobs, is limited to 11 floors. Especially when there’s a 20-story building two doors down.
