9 East 79th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 9 East 79th Street by Carter Horsley

One of the city's most desirable cross-street apartment houses, the very handsome, 15-story building at 9 East 79^th Street was erected in 1929 and converted to a cooperative in 1944. 

It was designed by Pleasants Penington and Albert W. Lewis, who also designed 1001 Park Avenue.

Bottom Line

One of the city’s finest mid-block pre-war buildings, 9 West 79^th Streets has only a few apartments and they are all duplexes and all have Central Park views.

Description

Not only is this distinguished, pre-war building across from a row of very attractive mansions, but it also abuts a large and deep plaza to the west where a tower replaced several mansions that once belonged to the Brokaw family. As a result, this building has very impressive views of the skyline and Central Park, especially since the Fifth Avenue blockfront to the south also consists of mansions. 

The midblock building is also extremely desirable because it consists of only 8 duplex apartments. 

The building has an irregular window pattern on its west façade and its 79th Street façade, which is limestone, has consistent fenestration except for the top floor. The windows on the third and fourth floors have slightly protruding wrought-iron surrounds.

Amenities

The building has a canopied entrance, a paneled lobby, sidewalk landscaping and discrete air-conditioners but no doorman, no concierge, no roof deck and no fitness center. 

The building's location is convenient to the Metropolitan Museum to the north and the Whitney Museum of American Art to the south and there are many boutiques and restaurants nearby. There is good cross-town bus service, but the nearest subway station is several blocks away.

Apartments

There are 8 duplex apartments and they have considerable “light and air” because of the setback tower at 980 Fifth Avenue to the west and the low-rise Rudolph Steiner School to the east.