Straus Park, 272 West 107th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 272 West 107th Street by Carter Horsley

Built on the site of the former Olympia movie theater, the Opus at 2770 Broadway on the southeast corner of 107^th Street is a 22-story condominium apartment building that was completed in 2005. 

It is located directly across Broadway from Straus Park, the northern terminus of West End Avenue. Broadway is sharply angled at this location and the building mirrors this with its balconied "prow" that faces north. 

The 64-unit building features 2- to 5-bedroom apartments. 

Designed by Randolph Gerner of GKV Architects, it was developed by The Clarett Group, whose principals are Vernonica Hackett and Neil Klarfeld, and Prudential Real Estate Investors. 

The Clarett Group also developed the Montrose at 308 East 38th Street and, with Post Properties, the Post Toscana at 389 East 89th Street and the Post Luminaria at 385 First Avenue.

Bottom Line

Fronting on Straus Park and only a short walk from Riverside Park, this apartment tower has curved corner balconies and good public transportation.

Description

The red rusticated-brick building features curved balconies with glass balustrades at its northwest corner and has two setbacks with terraces.

Amenities

The building, which is also known as 272 West 107^th Street,  has a landscaped roof deck, a health club, a courtyard, a children's playroom with books and a video library, a bicycle room and owner storage.

The building has no sidewalk landscaping and subways are a few blocks away.

Apartments

There are only two apartments per floor on the top five floors. Twelve of the apartments have gas-burning fireplaces and some ceilings are 11 feet high. 

Most of the units are classic "sixes" and "sevens" and have flexible living and dining rooms that can be converted to extra bedrooms. 

The building also has floor-to-ceiling windows and all apartments have Whirlpool washers and dryers, the kitchens have marble countertops, cherry wood cabinets and stainless-steel appliances from Kitchen-Aid. Bathrooms have Italian cararra marble. 

There are some gas-burning fireplaces and high ceilings, some curved balconies with glass balustrades at the building’s northwest corner, and some terraces. 

Apartment 18B is a four-bedroom unit that has a 10-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 11-foot-long dining room, a 14-foot-long pass-through kitchen and a 25-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a very long terrace on two side of the building.  

Apartment 16A is a three-bedroom unit that has a 25-foot-long living room with a sliding door to a very long terrace and an open kitchen and a 14-foot-long dining room/den. 

Apartment 14B has a 22-foot-long living room with a six-sided pass-through kitchen and two bedrooms. 

Apartment 16C is a two-bedroom unit with a 20-foot-long living room with a dining alcove and a pass-through kitchen and a very large terrace off the second bedroom. 

Apartment 15A is a three-bedroom unit with a 31-foot-long living room with a 14-foot-long dining room/den and an enclosed kitchen. 

Apartment 12D is a three-bedroom unit with a 22-foot-long living room with a pass-through kitchen. 

Apartment 6C is a three-bedroom unit that has a large entry foyer that leads to a 24-foot-long living room with a corner, curved balcony next to a 14-foot-long dining room/den adjacent to an enclosed kitchen.

History

The Clarett Group and Prudential Real Estate Investors bought this site from Eastern Consolidated Properties Inc., which operates Clearview Cinemas, for $16,600,000 and they also acquired a nearby property on West 108th Street for "inclusionary housing" that permitted them to build additional space on this site.  At 220 West 108^th Street, Clarett has five one-bedroom apartments that are reserved for tenants making less than 80 percent of the city’s median income level.

Location

Only one block from Riverside Drive, this location is also close to many attractive restaurants with sidewalk cafes just a few blocks to the north and Columbia University is also not far away to the north.