459 West 18th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 459 West 18th Street by Carter Horsley

This handsome, 11-story, 10-unit residential condominium at 459 West 18th Street is just to the west of Chelsea Modern, a larger residential condominium project at 447 West 18th Street and its architects, Della Valle + Bernheimer Design, specifically designed the building to complement the angularity of its neighbor, which was designed by Audrey Matlock.

Chelsea Modern has a horizontally angled glass façade and windows that open by extending outwards parallel to the building's façade.  This building is distinguished by the vertical angularity at its top.

459 W 18th St. LLC, of which Jared Della Valle is an officer and Robert Ricciardelli is a managing member is the developer.

Bottom Line

For a relatively small building, 459 West 18^th Street packs quite a dramatic and stark punch with its black-and-white interlocking angularity surrounded by some of Chelsea’s most publicized new architecture.

Description

The asymmetrically designed building has vertically angled setbacks near the top.

"Rather than look to the past as a reference, Della Valle + Bernheimer chose to respond to the design of an adjacent...building by architect Audrey Matlock...[that] is all delicate planes and irregular surfaces," said partner Jared Della Valle. "Ours is about mass, determined by the building's L-shaped plan and setbacks," he continued.

"Severe in its mass, profile, and detail, 459 West 18th Street strives to achieve two different experiences. On one hand, the project conveys a strong sense of place to would-be home owners in a neighborhood that is both new and constantly evolving and, on the other hand, possess[es] a sense of tranquility and quiet through its careful detail and muted interior palette," according to the architects.

The building's façade is comprised of black composite aluminum panels and fritted glass and the architects note that "punctures through the mass for fenestration are expressed as extruded collars."

"The arresting black and white exterior geometry belies the serene, understated interiors within," according to this building's website. The building's upper slants are reinforced by some unusually large and dramatic trapezoidal windows.

The design of this building is not radical but another another Della Valle + Bernheimer project created about the same time at 245 Tenth Avenue is a more dramatic structure with a very slick and shiny façade.

Amenities

The building has a part-time doorman and its lobby has a cantilevered chrome reception desk, white Corian bench, and white quartz stone floors.

It also has central air-conditioning and heating, a bicycle room, a roof deck and a keyed elevator. 

Apartments

The penthouse units will have 10-foot-5-inch ceilings and wood-burning fireplaces and Miele ovens and Ipe wood decking on the terraces.

Most apartments have 9-foot-4-inch ceilings, recessing ceiling lights, and kitchen fixtures and cabinetry designed by Della Valle Bernheimer for RIFRA, Bosch dishwashers.  It also has Sub-Zero and Miele appliances

Apartment 6 is a two-bedroom unit with a long entry gallery that leads to an 18-foot-long living room with a 16-foot-long alcove.  There is an open 19-foot-long dining area next to an open, 14-foot-long kitchen with an island.