Georgetown Plaza, 60 East 8th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 60 East 8th Street by Carter Horsley

This beige-brick apartment tower at 60 East Eighth Street on the southeast corner of Mercer Street was erected in 1967 and converted to a condop in 1991. It is known as Georgetown Plaza.

It was developed by Rose Associates and designed by Leo Stillman and John Pruyn. 

The 31-story building, which has considerable retail frontage along Broadway, has 389 apartments and a large, impressive, raised plaza.

Bottom Line

When it was built, this large building's neighborhood was a bit lackluster, but the expansion of New York University, the opening of a very large Tower Records store several blocks south on Broadway (now closed) and the spreading gentrification of the SoHo district into what became known as NoHo (North of Houston) significantly changed the area into one of the city's liveliest.

Several major landmarks are nearby: the lovely Gothic-style spire of Grace Episcopal Church is two blocks to the north on Broadway, the historic Cooper Union is two blocks to the east and Washington Square Park is two blocks to the west. 

Description

The building has a very large raised, landscaped plaza with a fountain and is one of the tallest buildings in Greenwich Village with many impressive views.

Amenities

The building has a concierge and doorman, a roof deck, a health club, balconies, a garage, a bicycle room, a live-in superintendent, storage facilities and consistent fenestration.

Apartments

Apartments have 9-foot-high ceilings and central air-conditioning, and many have balconies. 

Apartment 31E is a two-bedroom unit that has an 11-foot-long entry foyer that leads into a 22-foot-long living room with a 15-foot-wide balcony and an 11-foot-long dining alcove next to an enclosed kitchen. 

Apartment 27E is a three-bedroom unit that has a 10-foot-wide entry foyer that leads to a 24-foot-long living room with a balcony and an 11-foot-long dining area next to a 10-foot-long kitchen. 

Apartment 30J is a one-bedroom unit that has a 22-foot-long living room and a 13-foot-long dining room next to the pass-through kitchen.  It also has a 14-foot-long study. 

Apartment 20F is a two-bedroom unit that has a 22-foot-long living room and a 15-foot-long dining room adjacent to a 12-foot-long pass-through kitchen.

Apartment 15M is a one-bedroom unit with a 23-foot-long living room with a five-sided, 15-foot-wide balcony and a 13-foot-wide dining area next to an enclosed kitchen.

History

Eighth Street has always been the main retail street of Greenwich Village, while Lower Fifth Avenue, two long blocks to the west, is one of the city's most elegant residential neighborhoods. 

Broadway between Eighth Street and Houston is one of the city's busiest youth-oriented thoroughfares with many boutiques, restaurants and art galleries. A subway station is at the corner of Broadway and Eighth Street and there is cross-town bus service on Eighth and Ninth Streets. 

There is considerable traffic at this location. 

The building is quite similar to the 34-story rental building at 300 Mercer Street, just to its south.  The buildings share a one-story retail base on Broadway, but 300 Mercer was not erected until 1972.