Virginia Arms, 226 East 12th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 226 East 12th Street by Carter Horsley

This handsome, mid-block, 10-story apartment building at 226 East 12th Street between Third and Second Avenues was built in 1928 and converted to 83 co-operative apartments in 1988.  It is known as the Virginia Arms. 

It was designed by Sugarman & Berger, whose other projects in the city included One Fifth Avenue and the New Yorker Hotel.  It replaced three townhouses that were used by the New York Training School of Deaconesses. 

The building is not far from the Strand Bookstore on Broadway and Union Square.

Bottom Line

An attractive, mid-block, mid-rise, pre-war co-operative apartment building in the East Village not far from the Strand Book Store and Union Square.

Description

The lobby has attractive Art Deco period details including patterned terrazzo floors, glass sconces, hand painted reliefs and a fireplace that now houses an aquarium. 

The bright and airy hallways are accessed by two elevators, two internal staircases and a third fire staircase. 

There are balconies on the 10th floor and a two-story entrance surround with a canopy. 

The building has some window air-conditioners and a crenellated roofline with a narrow tower.

Amenities

The building has a live-in superintendent, an elevator, an intercom, a bicycle room, a laundry room and basement storage.  It is pet-friendly.

Apartments

Apartment 7B is a one-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer next to an 11-foot-long, windowed kitchen and leads to a 17-foot-long living/dining room. 

Apartment 5D is a studio unit with an entrance into a windowed, 11-foot-long kitchen that leads to a 16-foot-long living room with a murphy bed. 

Apartment 11C is a studio unit with a 17-foot-wide living room with an entrance tow a 54-foot-wide roof deck and a 7-foot-long eat-in kitchen.