Riverton Square, 2190 Madison Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 2190 Madison Avenue by Carter Horsley

One of the most beautifully landscaped housing complexes in the city, Riverton Square has seven, 13-story, red-brick buildings with a total of 1,229 rental units.  It was erected in 1947 by the Metropolitan Insurance Company, which also erected, the same year, Stuyvesant Town in Midtown East.

This 103-unit building at 2190 Madison Avenue is part of the complex that stretches from 135 to 138^th streets west of the Harlem River to Fifth Avenue.  It is north of the Abraham Lincoln Houses that are between 132 and 135^th streets, but whose landscaping is not the equal of Riverton Square.

According to a long article May 12, 2016 by Dana Schulz at 6sqft.com, “unlike Stuy Town (and Met Life’s Parkchester in the Bronx), black and Hispanic tenants weren’t barred from renting in Riverton.”

It is about a quarter of a mile from a subway station at 135^th Street and about half a mile from at 125^th Street.

“According to the Times,” the article continued, “over the years the seven-building site was a sought-after address for the middle-class and was home to such notables as jazz pianists Billy Taylor, former Mayor David Dinkins, and former vice president of Motown Records Suzanne de Passe.”

“But in 2005,” according to the article, “again similar to its downtown counterpart, Riverton was sold to Stellar Management, who tried to swiftly removed long-term tenants and replace them with higher-paying tenants.  Unable to convert the rent-stabilized units to market-rate and saddled with debt, Stella lost Riverton to its lenders in 2008….After nearly a decade in limbo, the 12-acre site was old to A&E Real Estate Holdings for $201 million in a deal in which, like the recent terms at Stuy Town, dictated that 975 of the complex’s 1,229  units be reserved for working and middle-class families for 30 years.  In return, the buyer will receive about $100 million worth of tax breaks and incentives.”  

Bottom Line

A gated Manhattan residential community along the Harlem River that has very handsome, large and extensive landscaping and 24-hour security.

Description

This gated, red-brick complex of 7 buildings along the Harlem River has extensive and very handsome landscaping including a children’s playground and a basketball court.

Amenities

Extensive landscaping, children’s playground, basketball court, laundry, 24-hour security.

Apartments

There are eight apartments per floor.

Most of the kitchens have been renovated with stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops.

Apartment F is a two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer next to an angled and windowed kitchen that leads to a 17-foot-long living room.

Apartment H is a one-bedroom unit with an angled entry foyer that leads past an angled and windowed kitchen to a 17-foot-long living room.

Apartment D is a one-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads past an angled and windowed kitchen to a 17-foot-long living room.