The Dandy, 704 Broadway: Review and Ratings

Review of 704 Broadway by Carter Horsley

The Dandy is an ornate, 10-story, residential loft building at 704 Broadway between West 4th Street and Washington Place, two blocks west of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.

One of the very grand commercial buildings that made Lower Broadway one of the world’s most famous retail centers in the 19^th Century, it survived the enormous expansion of New York University in the late 19^th Century and on-going gentrification subsequently of the east Village and the Lower East Side and the rather spectacular, recent redevelopment of the Bowery.

It has 10 apartments.

It was built in 1896 and designed by DeLemos & Cordes, and the later renovation and conversion was done by Arpad Baksa. DeLemos & Cordes also designed Macy’s on Herald Square, and the former Adams Dry Goods company story and the former Siegel Cooper stone on the impressive Ladies’ Mile section of the Avenue of the Americas, and the Keuffel & Esser building at 127 Fulton Street.

Bottom Line

A very robust mid-rise former loft building that has been converted to full-floor condominium apartments two blocks west of Washington Square Park.

Description

In his September 26, 2004 “Streetscapes” column in The New York Times, Christopher Gray described the very handsome building as “clunky” and note that it had “lot is crested cornice, but still has it indecorously reclining nudes over the seventh-floor windows, and a lovely sculptured limestone address medallion above the doorway.”

The building has an exposed rooftop watertank.

It also has an arched entrance door flanked by handsome columns, arched windows on the third and top floors and large bay windows on the 4^th through the 6^th floors.  The lower three floors are rusticated and the pediments atop the corner windows on the 7^th floor have charming recumbent nudes.

There is retail space on the ground floor.

Amenities

The building has a laundry, but no roof deck, no doorman, no concierge, and no garage.

Apartments

The triplex penthouse unit has about 11,000 square feet of space, five bedrooms, a maid’s room, an office, a library that conceals a panic room, and a large, rooftop swimming pool.  It ceilings range from 13 to 17 feet high. The living room has a wood-burning fireplace.

The 9^th floor two-bedroom unit has 4,804 square feet with high, brick, vaulted ceilings and a two-step-up living room with fireplace, and 5 Juliet balconies. It has a large gallery that opens onto a 37-foot-long dining room with an open kitchen with an island and flows into a 26-foot-long media room with stairs up to an 11-foot-long office and it opens onto a terrace.  The 27-foot-long master bedroom has a 31-foot-long dressing area.

History

The penthouse was put on the market in 2002 by Jonathan Lietersdorf with an asking price of $27,500,000.  Mr. Lietersdorf, who had bought the building in 1997, rented the penthouse space as Sky Studios for various functions including a birthday party for Chelsea Clinton and a Jerry Seinfield wedding.  It was bought in 2007 by Ron Burkle for $17,500,000.

The building was formerly occupied by hatmakers and a former resident was David Bowie, the singer.