Instrata Gramercy, 290 Third Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 290 Third Avenue by Carter Horsley

One of the tallest apartment towers close to Gramercy Park, this 32-story project at 290 Third Avenue between 22^nd and 23^rd streets in the Gramercy Park neighborhood, was built in 1992.

It was built by Adellco and designed by Avinash K. Malhotra and was known as The Elektra until 2014.  Adellco is headed by Matthew Adell who built the Capitol at Chelsea and the Aston on Sixth Avenue in the former Flower District and has redeveloped this building and the Instrata Nomad, which used to be known as the Madison Belvedere at 10 East 29^th Street.

This building has 166 rental apartments and was previously a residence for hospital employees.

Bottom Line

A ratchety, mid-block tower with many balconies, blue-gray accents and a nice top not far from Gramercy Park.

Description

The lower half of the mid-block building has four balconies per floor while the top half has only two balconies per floor, resulting in a very pronounced façade on the avenue. The rather busy façade is relieved by the two top floors being setback at the north and south ends, a simple but effective way of relieving the potential dreariness of a flat roof here.

The building is set back on a one-story retail base with a decorative top and a canopy entrance for the apartments.

Floors 2 through 4 have a blue-gray brick façade and floors 5 through 20 have a blue-gray narrow banding on every floor in the beige-brick tower.  The blue-gray banding is repeated at the cornice line and the two higher, setback stories.

The lobby has polished desert lagoon marble floors with mother of pearl and white onyx accentuated limestone and brushed nickel walls.

Amenities

The building has a concierge, a doorman, bicycle storage, a health club, a sun deck with teak reclining chaises and a misting shower, but no pool and no garage.  The building is smoke-free.

Apartments

Kitchens have Whirlpool appliances, European gray slate countertops with undermounted sinks and track lighting.

Baths have black absolute granite vanity tops with surface mounted ovo basin sinks and graff perfeque, danze and channel polished chrome fixtures and nemo marquina polished stone surrounds in some apartments.

Apartment C is a two-bedroom unit on floors 22 through 31 with a 17-foot-long living area with a 14-foot-wide balcony and a 12-foot-long dining area next to a pass-through kitchen.

Apartment A is a one-bedroom unit on floors 7 through 31 with an entrance foyer next to a pass-through kitchen, a 23-foot-long living room with a 14-foot-wide balcony.

Apartment E on floors 2 through 21 is a studio unit with an entrance foyer next to an open kitchen and a 13-foot-long living room with an 11-foot-long sleeping alcove and an 11-foot-long balcony.

Apartment B on floors 3 through 6 is a studio unit with a long entrance gallery that leads to a 23-foot-long living room with an 11-foot-wide balcony.