A glass panel fell off a balcony at 325 Fifth Avenue recently and as a result all of the building's 1,300 balconies have been covered in mesh and residents told by the Department of Buildings not to use the balconies until they have all been inspected and repairs made if necessary.
The 42-story building has 250 condominium apartments and was developed as a joint venture between Continental Properties, which is headed by Mark and Steven Fisch, and Douglaston Development, an affiliate of Levine Builders, which is headed by Jeffrey Levine.
The mid-block development on the avenue is between 32nd and 33rd Streets and is in the lee of the Empire State Building.
It was completed in 2006 and is distinguished by its curved and open roof structure over its watertank, light blue-green glass facade, and its many balconies. The lobby is attended around the clock by a doorman and concierge and the building has a on-site valet parking and an entrance marquee. The building also will have a 10,000-square foot health club with a decked indoor swimming pool, a screening room, a children's playroom, a catering kitchen, a lounge with marble fireplace, and a business center and residents can have dog walking service, maid service and room safes in every apartment.
Apartments have 10-foot-high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows, open-plan kitchens with separate pantries and the four penthouse units have wood-burning fireplaces and double-height living rooms.
Stephen B. Jacobs, who designed the Hotel Ganesvoort, is the architect and Andi Pepper designed the two-story lobby with a bamboo forest and waterfall.
According to an article in today's edition of The Daily News by Kerry Burke, Jason Sheftell and Samuel Goldsmith, "glass started falling last month."
A spokesman for the building's construction manager, Levine Builders, said, according to the article, that only one of the building's 1,300 glass balcony panels "has broken," adding that "As a precautionary measure mandated by the Department of Buildings, all 1,300 glass panels have been wrapped in protective mesh to insure public safety while the cause of the breakage is determined."
The article said that "the Department of Buildings has issued several stop work and partial vacate orders to the condo, including one last November," adding that "The citation from last year reads, 'Glass panels at rear balconies are defective and falling into rear yard.'"
The building has a very large and attractive mid-block plaza at its rear.
The 42-story building has 250 condominium apartments and was developed as a joint venture between Continental Properties, which is headed by Mark and Steven Fisch, and Douglaston Development, an affiliate of Levine Builders, which is headed by Jeffrey Levine.
The mid-block development on the avenue is between 32nd and 33rd Streets and is in the lee of the Empire State Building.
It was completed in 2006 and is distinguished by its curved and open roof structure over its watertank, light blue-green glass facade, and its many balconies. The lobby is attended around the clock by a doorman and concierge and the building has a on-site valet parking and an entrance marquee. The building also will have a 10,000-square foot health club with a decked indoor swimming pool, a screening room, a children's playroom, a catering kitchen, a lounge with marble fireplace, and a business center and residents can have dog walking service, maid service and room safes in every apartment.
Apartments have 10-foot-high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling windows, open-plan kitchens with separate pantries and the four penthouse units have wood-burning fireplaces and double-height living rooms.
Stephen B. Jacobs, who designed the Hotel Ganesvoort, is the architect and Andi Pepper designed the two-story lobby with a bamboo forest and waterfall.
According to an article in today's edition of The Daily News by Kerry Burke, Jason Sheftell and Samuel Goldsmith, "glass started falling last month."
A spokesman for the building's construction manager, Levine Builders, said, according to the article, that only one of the building's 1,300 glass balcony panels "has broken," adding that "As a precautionary measure mandated by the Department of Buildings, all 1,300 glass panels have been wrapped in protective mesh to insure public safety while the cause of the breakage is determined."
The article said that "the Department of Buildings has issued several stop work and partial vacate orders to the condo, including one last November," adding that "The citation from last year reads, 'Glass panels at rear balconies are defective and falling into rear yard.'"
The building has a very large and attractive mid-block plaza at its rear.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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