The Potter Building, 145 Nassau Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 145 Nassau Street by Carter Horsley

This very important downtown landmark at 145 Nassau Street was built in 1886 by Orlando B. Potter to replace his World Building that was destroyed by fire in 1882.

It is also known as 35-38 Park Row and 2-8 Beekman Street.

The architect of Potter’s new building was N. G. Starkweather and he designed it with the most advanced fireproofing available.

The 11-story building was converted by Martin Raynes to a co-operative apartment building with 41 units in 1980.

Bottom Line

A glorious red confection of a very ornamental late 19^th century office building overlooking City Hall Park and Park Row with a rounded corner with a turret.  It was converted into many large co-operative apartments in 1980.

Description

The red brick and brownstone-colored terra cotta façade above a cast iron-clad base is richly embellished with what is described in the building’s Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report as a “picturesque, flamboyant fusion of Queen Anne, neo-Grec, Renaissance Revival and Colonial Revival motifs.”

The report maintains that the building is “one of the most significant surviving tall office buildings of the period prior to the full development of the skyscraper.”  “Its brickwork,” it continued, “is among the handsomest in New York City” and its “highly sculpted terra cotta, produced by the Boston Terra Cotta Co., was employed in a notable ‘constructive’ manner in the load-bearing walls.”

The roofline is punctuated by finials and broken scroll pediments with urns.

Amenities

The building has a part-time doorman, a roof deck, a day-time superintendent, keyed elevators, video security and storage.  Most pets are allowed.

Apartments

Apartments have high ceilings, and washers and dryers. Kitchens have Bosch and Miele appliances and black stone countertops.

Apartment 10C is a three-bedroom unit with a long, “L”-shaped entry foyer that leads to a 33-foot-long angled living/dining room with an open, 17-foot-wide kitchen with an island.

Apartment 11E is a two-bedroom unit with an entry into a 27-foot-long dining room with an open 11-foot-kitchen and two-steps up to a 15-foot-square living room that leads down one step to a 15-foot-office/den.

Apartment 6A is a duplex unit with a 16-foot-wide entry foyer that opens onto a 27-foot-long, angled living/dining room with a 12-foot-long open kitchen with an island on the lower level and a 22-foot-long sitting area and three angled bedrooms on the upper level.

Apartment 2F is a four-level unit with a 20-foot-wide, triple-height living room on the lowest level, an enclosed 12-foot-long kitchen on the second level and a 20-foot-long bedroom on the highest level.

Apartment 5D is a three-bedroom unit with an 8-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 15-foot-wide dining area next to a 19-foot-long enclosed kitchen and a 16-foot-square corner living room.

History

Apartments have high ceilings, and washers and dryers. Kitchens have Bosch and Miele appliances and black stone countertops.

Apartment 10C is a three-bedroom unit with a long, “L”-shaped entry foyer that leads to a 33-foot-long angled living/dining room with an open, 17-foot-wide kitchen with an island.

Apartment 11E is a two-bedroom unit with an entry into a 27-foot-long dining room with an open 11-foot-kitchen and two-steps up to a 15-foot-square living room that leads down one step to a 15-foot-office/den.

Apartment 6A is a duplex unit with a 16-foot-wide entry foyer that opens onto a 27-foot-long, angled living/dining room with a 12-foot-long open kitchen with an island on the lower level and a 22-foot-long sitting area and three angled bedrooms on the upper level.

Apartment 2F is a four-level unit with a 20-foot-wide, triple-height living room on the lowest level, an enclosed 12-foot-long kitchen on the second level and a 20-foot-long bedroom on the highest level.

Apartment 5D is a three-bedroom unit with an 8-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 15-foot-wide dining area next to a 19-foot-long enclosed kitchen and a 16-foot-square corner living room.