Metal Shutter Houses,
524 West 19th Street

Overview of Metal Shutter Houses at 524 West 19th Street

Metal Shutter Houses at 524 West 19th Street is an 11 story boutique condominium designed by Shigeru Ban, winner of the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize, in collaboration with New York architect Dean Maltz. Completed in 2011 and developed by Jeff Spiritos of HEEA Development L.L.C. and Chelsea art dealer Klemens Gasser, the building contains just nine residential units above ground floor gallery space. The project evolved from a planned two story renovation in 2005 after the High Line's refurbishment triggered rezoning in West Chelsea, granting special development rights that allowed for a complete rebuild.

The building's defining feature is its motorized perforated metal shutters that allow residents to transform the façade's appearance. The main façade is divided into three bays, each with three layers: the signature metal shutters, a low glass railing, and large motorized window walls that fold upward to create what one observer called an "architectural ballet." This system enables 20-foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls to retract completely, blurring the boundary between interior and exterior spaces. By concentrating mechanicals in tall white lacquer storage units and embedding sliding door tracks and lighting directly into the slab, Ban eliminated the need for a plenum to maximize ceiling heights.

The building occupies a prime location in West Chelsea's gallery district, flanked by Frank O. Gehry's IAC headquarters and Annabelle Seldorf's terracotta banded 520 West 19th Street, and across from Jean Nouvel's 100 Eleventh Avenue. The site sits steps from the High Line and Hudson River Park, in what has been described as "the epicenter of modern architecture." The neighborhood's low-profile galleries and buildings allow for long city views, including sightlines to the Empire State Building from multiple units.

Apartments feature double-height living rooms with soaring 20-foot ceilings, custom Shigeru Ban designed kitchens with white Corian countertops and white matte lacquer cabinetry, and bathrooms finished in Bianco Dolomiti marble. Units range from duplexes to a triplex penthouse with more than 3,300 square feet of interior space and nearly 2,000 square feet of outdoor terraces. Common features include white oak flooring throughout, key locked elevator access, in-unit washer/dryers, and the building's signature upwardly pivoting glass walls opening to private balconies and terraces. One sixth floor duplex includes a 46-foot-long double-height living room, while the penthouse offers panoramic views from the Hudson River to the Midtown skyline from its private rooftop terrace.

The building provides full time doorman service and maintains Ban's minimalist aesthetic that blends traditional Japanese architecture with International Style modernism. The penthouse, which sold immediately when it hit the market in 2007, saw its deal fall through in 2010 after the buyer had extensively remodeled the space with traditional finishes. Ban and Maltz subsequently restored the original minimalist details, removing paneling and replacing a wood burning fireplace with a colorfully decorated flue rising to the 20-foot ceiling, preserving the architect's vision of what The New York Times called "a fantasy of modern living."

Doorman

Full Time

Type

Condo

Year Built

2008

Apartments

9 (view all units)

Floors

11

Neighborhood

Chelsea (Manhattan)

Min Down

20%

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