The Charles, 1355 First Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 1355 First Avenue by Carter Horsley

The Charles is a 31-story residential condominium development at 1355 First Avenue between 72^nd and 73^rd Streets.

It is notable because it is the first full-floor, high-rise condominium in the city and because it cantilevers over the 5-story, white-brick building with fire escapes immediately to the north.

It has 26 units.

The architect was Ismael Leyva.  David Collins Studio was the interior designer.

It was completed in 2014 and was developed by Victor Homes and Bluerock Real Estate, which is headed by R. Ramin Kamfar, a former investment banker at Lehman Brothers and a former chairman of the New World Restaurant Group Inc. Mr. Kamfar acquired the site in 2007.

The original plan for the project was announced in 2008. It called for a 45-story tower with a skylight pool, a screening room a children’s playroom and a fitness center.

Bottom Line

A gangly, mid-block building on an unattractive stretch on the west side of First Avenue with an attractive glass tower over a boxy limestone base that managed to sell its quadruplex penthouse for the astronomical sum of more than $37 million before it was completed.

Description

The building rises from a 7-story, limestone base that is built to the building line and has an elegant glass setback tower.

The north cantilever starts at the 14^th floor and is setback from the tower’s front through the 24^th floor and then extends fully to the east for five floors.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a fitness center, a residents’ lounge, storage, sidewalk landscaping and a children’s playground.

Apartments

The quadruplex penthouse has 11,740-square feet and four bedrooms and two terraces with 1,344 square feet of exterior space.  It has 11-foot-7-inch high ceilings and 5-inch-wide white oak flooring.  It has a eat-in kitchen with Miele and Subzero appliances.

According to a March 7, 2014 article in The New York Times by Julie Satow “the penthouse at the Charles, a glass-and-limestone condominium rising on a non-descript block on First Avenue…recently went into contract for $37.94 million,” adding that the price more than doubled the previous sales record in the area, the $17 million paid for a condominium at 170 East End Avenue in 2009.”

The four-bedroom units on the 26th and 27th floors have 3,595 square feet with 33-foot-long great rooms, 23-foot-long galleries and 20-foot-long, eat-in kitchens.

The four-bedroom units on the 14^th through the 25^th floors have 3,448 square feet, 29-foot-long great rooms, 23-foot-long galleries and 18-foot-long, eat-in kitchens.

The four-bedroom units on the 9^th through the 12^th floors have 3,155 square feet with 23-foot-long galleries leading to 29-foot-long great rooms that connect with a sliding door to a 16-foot-long, eat-in kitchen.

The four-bedroom units on the 3^rd through the 7^th floors have 3,637 square feet with a 21-foot-long gallery that leads to a 27-foot-long great room that connects through two sliding doors to a 24-foot-long, eat-in kitchen.