Hilary Gardens,
300 Mercer Street

Overview of Hilary Gardens at 300 Mercer Street

Hilary Gardens stands as a glaring example of 1970s urban planning gone wrong, a 34 story rental tower that was completed in 1976 and designed by Joseph Feingold. Located on the west side of Broadway between West 8th Street and Waverly Place, this hulking structure was among the tallest buildings of its era in Greenwich Village, but critics rightfully noted that both it and its companion Georgetown Plaza were completely out of context with the neighborhood's historic character. The building's 480 apartments range from cramped alcove studios to large two bedrooms, housed within what one review aptly described as a huge, "plain vanilla" luxury rental tower that disrupts the Village's intimate streetscape.

The building's architectural choices seem designed to maximize mediocrity, featuring a light orange brick façade punctuated by numerous corner balconies and topped with a dramatic V shaped glass entrance marquee that feels more suited to a suburban shopping mall than Greenwich Village. Residents must navigate a curved, five step entrance to reach a large landscaped plaza on Mercer Street, while the recently renovated lobby attempts to compensate for the building's shortcomings with 20 foot ceilings that management desperately markets as creating a "boutique feel" despite the tower's overwhelming scale.

The amenities, while extensive, come with frustrating limitations that reflect the building's problematic approach to luxury living. The two level roof deck 35 stories high features a temperature controlled outdoor pool and changing rooms with saunas, but the on-site fitness center requires separate membership, nickel and diming residents who already pay premium rents. The building does offer 24/7 doorman service, a live-in resident manager, an on-site valet, and an attended parking garage, along with modern laundry facilities that should be standard rather than noteworthy.

Despite management's attempts at upscale finishes, many apartments feature the kind of generic luxury touches that defined the era's worst excesses. Renovated bathrooms contain Carrara marble, while kitchens have been outfitted with stainless steel appliances, wooden cabinetry, and granite countertops that feel more like a hotel chain's idea of elegance. Some units do offer terraces and skyline views, with one bedroom apartments featuring living rooms as long as 29 feet and 12 foot wide sleeping areas, though these generous proportions can't overcome the building's fundamental disconnect from its historic surroundings.