The Vanguard Chelsea, 77 West 24th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 77 West 24th Street by Carter Horsley

This 301-unit rental apartment tower is a project of the Albanese Development Corporation, which erected the distinctive and impressive, triangular-topped apartment house at 100 United Nations Plaza on East 48th Street.

This is one of several new major projects in the long-anticipated redevelopment of the "flower market district" along the avenue where several major sites were dormant for many years.

Rising from a six-story base that stretches from 24th to 25th Streets on the avenue, the tower of this 29-story, red-brick building is set back from the avenue.

Historically, many of the city's finest department stores were on this avenue between 14th and 23rd Streets in the early part of the 20th Century before they moved to midtown. In the 1980's, many of those huge and impressive buildings were converted as part of the renaissance of the Flatiron District, named after the distinctive triangular building at the intersection of 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

The "Flower Market" stretch of the avenue, roughly between 24th and 30th Streets is south of Herald Square and the Garment Center and despite its excellent public transportation and proximity to midtown and Madison Square it lay relatively fallow until the late 1990s when the success of the Flatiron District and the tight markets for art galleries in SoHo and other downtown areas led many art galleries to find space in Chelsea and spurred a major revitalization of this West Side district.

In addition, the opening of the huge Chelsea Piers recreation complex along the Hudson River led many New Yorkers to discover the Chelsea area, which combines large industrial properties with charming Victorian brownstones, some large housing developments, and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

A further major attraction to the area was the opening in 2009 of the first section of the High Line elevated park between 10th and 11th Avenues.

The building has a concierge, a health club, an "events" center with landscaped terrace, corner windows, storage facilities, a 24-hour attended garage, a bicycle room, and baths clad in Botticino marble. The two-bedroom apartments have washers and dryers.

This area has very good public transportation within a few blocks. Madison Square Park is one long block to the east and there are many restaurants in the vicinity.

The building was designed by Schuman Lichtenstein Claman & Efron.