305 West 16th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 305 West 16th Street by Carter Horsley

For the seven-story, dark and svelte apartment building at 305 West 16^th Street at the northwest corner at Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, a 34-foot-high mosaic sculpture of three-daisies is a not-so-discreet touch of class, just the thing to plant on the roof where it will not be trampled by crazed cyclists. 

It’s not too visible from the street but for tenants on the higher floors of the 15-story former Port Authority building at 111 Eighth Avenue its perennial brightness is the equal of Rockefeller Center’s seasonal, and larger, Christmas tree. 

The handsome condop building was developed by Centaur Equities, of which Harlan Berger and Henry Hay are principals, and designed by SLCE. 

It has 53 apartments.

Bottom Line

This sleek and rather dashing, mid-rise building in the heart of Chelsea is convenient to many restaurants and boutiques as well as the High Line Park and the West Village.

Description

The dark gray façade has a sidestreet entrance marquee and the avenue frontage is set back above the first floor retail spaces. The sixth and seventh floors are also setback. 

The building, which is also known as 127-137 Eighth Avenue, is just to the east of the Dr. Gertrude B. Kelly Playground.

Amenities

The building has a roof deck with its signature “Perhaps” sculpture by Robert Buchholz, a Zen viewing garden, a fitness center, storage, a package room and a 24-hour doorman.

Apartments

Apartments have carbonized bamboo floors and kitchens have Caesar Stone countertops, Bosch ranges and cooktops, Fisher & Paykel refrigerators, washers and dryers and Cerused Wenge cabinetry.  

Baths have Italian master vanities with Grohe fixtures. 

Penthouse B is a one-bedroom apartment with a foyer that opens onto an open kitchen with an island and a 17-foot-long living/dining room. 

Apartment 6B is a one-bedroom unit with a 144-square-foot roof garden and a 17-foot-long living/dining room with an open kitchen with an island. 

Apartment H on the 3^rd through the 5^th floors is a two-bedroom unit with a long entrance foyer that leads to a 36-foot-lot living/dining room with an open pass-through kitchen. 

Apartment K on the 3^rd through 5^th floors is a two-bedroom unit with a long foyer that leads past a pass-through kitchen to an 18-foot-long living/dining room. 

Apartment 6 D is a three-bedroom unit with a 991-square-foot-roof garden.  It has a 22-foot-long living/dining room with an open kitchen with an island. 

Penthouse C is a two-bedroom unit with a 21-foot-long living/dining room with a pass-through kitchen and a 345-square-foot roof garden.

History

For some gentlemen, fluffing a handkerchief out of their breast pocket is a flourish of style. 

For others, an angled feather in one’s cap signifies derring-do. 

For the owners of one of the large penthouses at 1 Sutton Place South, a giant colored balloon of stainless steel by Jeff Koons on one of the large terraces is the height of sophisticated bravado. 

For the late Melvyn Kaufman, the developer, a full-size metal replica of a Sopwith Camel fighter plane from World War I was the cure-all for bored workers in offices higher than its rooftop perch, complete with windsock, at 77 Water Street in Lower Manhattan. 

Pigeon-coops and laundry lines are alright, too, but gigantic flowers, like here, are much more cheery. 

According to the building's website, "'Perhaps' is really a whimsical statement of what today's pop-culture influenced art world is about," adding that "It's both intimate and grand. Buchholz believes that art in his generation is for the kids that grew up with Nintendo, Red Hot Chili Peppers and BMX bikes. This generation is drawn toward more experiential art rather than statis art.  A generation that muddles art with music, technology, and all things interactive - even if it's just an iPhone picture of someone in front of an iconic piece at a music festival."