Cathedral Gardens, 352 Cathedral Parkway: Review and Ratings

Review of 352 Cathedral Parkway by Carter Horsley

In September, 2006, the first group of students from Barnard College has begun moving into Cathedral Gardens, the recently completed residential building at 352 Cathedral Parkway across from St. John The Divine Episcopal Cathedral.

The 15-story building has 25 condominium apartments and residential accommodations for about 90 students. The condominium apartments have all been sold and recently occupied.

The building was built and developed by Artimus Construction Inc., and has separate street entrances and lobbies for the residents and the students and a shared 112-foot-wide courtyard.

Peter Bafitis of Rothzeid Kaiserman Thomson & Bee (RKT&B), the architectural firm for the development, said that "the students won t be living in a bubble, the kind of artificial setting you see on so many college campuses today," adding that "they'll be able to interact with the larger community and experience the excitement and diversity of city living" while the condo residents, "in turn,' will be able to enjoy an atmosphere of academic enthusiasm, and neighborhoods will have a new green space for leisure and relaxation."

Eytan Benyamin, Ken Haron, Robert Ezrapour and Yoav Haron are the principals of Artimus.

More than 90 students are housed in single and double rooms in the building which also has the address of 217 Manhattan Avenue.

The building has a roof terrace and a 24-hour security desk.

According to an article by Tess Brustein in the May 5, 2006 edition of the Columbia Spectator, "some worried whether the dorm's distance from campus and concerns about the neighborhood's safety would keep seniors - the building's intended residents - from filling up the residence." "A new Columbia shuttle stop and more frequent police patrols were added," the article continued.

The residential condominium units consist of one-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 833 to 1,026 square feet and two-bedroom apartments ranging in size from 996 to 1,316 square feet.

RKT&B also was involved in the design of 455 Central Park West and the Memphis Downtown apartments.