179 Ludlow Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 179 Ludlow Street by Carter Horsley

This very attractive, 8-story building at 179 Ludlow Street opened in 2014 with five floor-through condominium apartments and a duplex penthouse.

It was developed by Enclave Equities, which is headed by Michael Goldberg, and designed by Kleinmann Architects.  ASH NYC did the interiors.

Bottom Line

Although Madonna looked at this Lower East Side project several years ago in its unfinished infancy as a site for a kaballah center, she should return to slither for a video on its smashing new fire-escapes.

Description

The building is notable for its handsome and distinctive treatment of balconies and fire-escapes. 

The balconies on the front of the building become fire-escapes at the building’s recessed bay and their zig-zag appearance adds a good dynamic the building’s form, especially since they continue to the building’s roof garden.

The building has large, sliding glass doors and steel-railed balconies.

The building has street-level retail space.

Amenities

The building has an iPad intercom system and keyed elevator access.

Apartments

The two-bedroom apartments have open kitchens with black oak cabinetry, honed statuary marble countertops and Miele appliances.

The penthouse duplex has a double-height, 22-foot-long living room with an 11-foot-wide balcony that is adjacent to a 13-foot-long open kitchen with an island and a 23-foot-wide balcony and a bedroom on the lower floor and a master bedroom and an 18-foot-wide roof terrace on the top floor.

The two-bedroom units have a 21-foot-long, living room with a 9-foot-wide, pass-through kitchen and two balconies.

History

The building’s financial troubles led to a bankruptcy in 2007 for David Cross, the developer, and subsequently Michael Russo who got it at an auction for $5.2 million also had bad timing and the Village Voice soon described the unfinished building as “a rat castle.”

Location

The building neighbors on this “hot” and “hip” street are the Indigo Hotel and SoHo House, Katz’s Delicatessen and the Ludlow Hotel.