Gramercy Starck, 340 East 23rd Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 340 East 23rd Street by Carter Horsley

The Gramercy Starck is an attractive, blue-glass-clad, 22-story, mid-block, residential condominium building at 340 East 23rd Street.

It was developed by Victor Homes and designed and completed in 2008.

It has 207 apartments.

The building was designed by Gerner Kronick + Valcarel, which designed for the Clarett Group the Post Luminaria at 385 First Avenue, a nearby apartment building on the southwest corner of 23rd Street and First Avenue.

Phillippe Starck designed the interiors.

Amenities include a 24-hour doorman & concierge, a 2,600-square-foot fitness center with a sauna and steam room, and a full-floor lounge that features a library, screening room, billiards, and a landscaped outdoor terrace with a marble fireplace. River/city views and private cabanas can be found on the building's roof deck. 

The L and 6 trains are nearby, along with a variety of retailers and parks, including East River Park, Union Square Park, and Stuyvesant Square Park.

Bottom Line

An unusually bright and cheery building with many amenities not too far from Gramercy Park and Bellevue Hospital with good cross-town bus service.

Description

A large building that is notable for its blue glass and white accents and rounded balconies near the top. 

The 800-square-foot lobby has an 18-foot-heigh ceiling with "dramatic signature Stark yellow glass elevators, oversized pendant lamps and whimsical furnishings" with white stone walls and floors. The lobby also has a Venetian mirror fireplace.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman and refrigerated storage for grocery deliveries. 

The building also has a 3,000-square foot lounge on the second floor with a library and a fireplace, a screening room, a children’s playroom, a fitness center, personal storage, a game room and an entertaining area with a bar. 

It also has a 2,000-square foot landscaped outdoor deck with a marble fireplace and a 3,000-square-foot roof deck with cabanas. 

It has no sidewalk landscaping, many apartments and no garage. 

It allows pets and has a live-in superintendent. 

Apartments

Residents could choose from three "finishing" packages for their apartments: classic, culture or nature. The project's website describes the "classic" package as: "Urban Sophistication. Traditional character and craftsmanship. Polished chrome. Walnut finishes. Limestone. Dark fumed oak. Shades of pale grey." 

The "culture" package is described as: "A cool and contemporary urban vibe. Polished chrome. Dark fumed oak. White wood finishes. Romany blue stone. Shades of pale violet." 

The "nature" package is described as: "Warm and inviting. Modern lines and natural textures. Satin chrome. White oak. Thassos white stone. Shales of pale green." 

Apartment 14C has a long open kitchen that leads to a 15-foot-long living room with a 9-foot-wide balcony and a 19-foot-long bedroom. 

Apartment 14M is a three-bedroom unit that has a 22-foot-long living room with an 8-foot-wide balcony and an open kitchen. 

Sky House H is a duplex three-bedroom unit with a 24-foot-long living room with an open kitchen. It has a 22-foot-long terrace on its lower level. 

Penthouse 4B has a long hallway that leads to a 30-foot-long living/dining area with a fireplace and an open kitchen. It also boasts a 35-foot-long terrace that is curved and wraps around one of the three bedrooms, as well as a small balcony off of one of the other two bedrooms. 

Penthouse 4D is a three-bedroom unit with a long hall leading to a large living/dining room with an open kitchen and a small balcony and a very large curved terrace. One of the bedrooms also has a small balcony. 

Penthouse 2C is a two-bedroom unit that has a 24-foot-wide living room with an open kitchen that opens onto a 25-foot-long curved balcony. The 20-foot-long master bedroom also has a 13-foot-long terrace. 

History

Victor Homes's other projects in the city include the attractive, 7-story, Lumiere at 350 West 53rd Street that was also designed by Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC., which also designed the Opus apartment building at 2770 Broadway. 

Philippe Starck's other projects in the city include Downtown by Starck at 15 Broad Street and the Royalton Hotel.