21E12, 21 East 12th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 21 East 12th Street by Carter Horsley

This 22-story, mixed-use building at 21 East 12^th Street in Greenwich Village is scheduled for completion in late 2017 by the William Macklowe Company and Goldman Sachs and it contains 52 condominium apartments and it has a two-story retail base.

The building was designed by Annabelle Selldorf who designed 200 Eleventh Avenue, 10 Bond Street and the interiors of the Neue Gallerie on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 86^th Street.

The building is on the former site of the Bowlmor, a mid-rise building that contained a bowling alley, a garage and retail space.

Bottom Line

A very bulky and not terribly discrete tower set back on a wide, two-story, retail base on the former site of the Bowlmor bowling alley and garage on University Place in a prime section of Greenwich Village.

Description

The building’s residences are contained in the project’s dramatically setback, square tower whose top is slightly setback at the 21^st floor.

The tower will have a sandstone-colored cast stone façade with windows that measure 8 feet by 5.6 inches.

All apartments are corner units.

The building will be about 300 feet tall and Andrew Berman, the executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, was quoted in a May 27, 2016 article by Kaya Laterman in The New York Times as stating that he was disappointment with city officials “for ignoring the organization’s plea to rezone the area and essentially prohibit such a tall structure.”

The building will be the tallest on University Place by several stories.

The article quoted Ms. Selldorf as stating that she thought that “recessing the residents back from the street equates to a more balanced footprint,” adding that she understood “the height is a concern to some people, including myself,” but that “she designed the building to be discreet, simple and elegant.”

The article also quoted William S. Macklowe as stating that while he is “always appreciative of opposite points of view,” he believes the building will “contribute to the community, adding that he asked Ms. Selldorf “to design a building with stone and not glass.”

The building has an entrance marquee.

Amenities

The building has a children’s playroom and a garage.

Apartments

Apartments have white oak floors and millwork kitchen cabinetry.

Penthouse B is a four-bedroom, duplex unit with 3,664 square feet of interior space and 685 square feet of exterior space with a 7-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 31-foot-long living/dining room with a 32-foot-wide terrace and a staircase, a 30-foot-wide kitchen/breakfast room that opens on a 42-foot-wide terrace and a media room/bedroom.  The upper level has three bedrooms.

Penthouse A is a three-bedroom, duplex unit with 3,349 square feet of interior space and 969 square feet of exterior space with a 17-foot-wide entry foyer on the lower level with a staircase, a 31-foot-long living/dining room, a 14-foot-foot breakfast room and a 14-foot-wide open kitchen.  The upper level has a 9-foot-wide foyer and three bedrooms.

Townhome B is a four-bedroom duplex unit with 3,242 square feet with a 7-foot-long entry foyer on the lower level that leads to a 35-foot-wide living/dining room with a 14-foot-wide, open kitchen and a staircase and a 15-foot-long library/bedroom.  The upper level has a 36-foot-long gallery and three bedrooms.

Apartment 19B is a three-bedroom unit with 2,496 square feet with an 11-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 23-foot-wide, angled living room with a 14-foot-long open kitchen.

Apartment 17B is a two-bedroom unit with 1,629 square feet with a 17-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 21-foot-wide living/dining room with a 13-foot-wide open kitchen

Apartment 16A is a two-bedroom unit with 1,478 square feet with a 19-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 23-foot-wide living/dining room and a 12-foot-wide open kitchen.

Apartment 8C is a one-bedroom unit with 1,033 square feet and a 10-foot-long entry foyer that leads past a 10-foot-long open kitchen to a 15-foot-long living/dining room and an angled, 16-foot-long bedroom with a sliding door to the living room.