The handsome, 13-story apartment building at 219 West 81st Street on the northeast corner at Broadway is being converted to residential condominiums.

As of April 15 this year, it had 17 vacant apartments, 20 "free-market" apartments, 61 rent-stabilized apartments and 19 rent-controlled apartments.

The offering plan has a total price for outsiders for its 117 units of $193,475,000. Total price for tenants within a 90-day option period were $183,801,250. Prices range from about $675,000 for a 600-foot studio unit to $2,815,000 for a 2,117-square-foot unit on the 12th floor.

The sponsor is 219 West 81st LLC of which Edward Gellert and Brad A. Cohen are principals. Mr. Cohen is executive director of U.S. commercial real estate investing of UBS AG.

The building was erected in 1912 and was designed by Gaetano Ajello, who was the architect also for 473, 505, 575, 645 West End Avenue, the Rexor Apartments on Broadway at 116th Street, the Luxor Apartments on Broadway at 115th Street and 17 East 89th Street.

The building has a three-story limestone base and its mid-block, 3-step-up entrance is in a deep light court, one of five at the building.

The beige-brick building has arched windows at the top floor and delightful putti holding escutcheons above some fifth floor windows. The building's facade is presently being cleaned and restored. It has an exposed rooftop watertank and some protruding air-conditioners. It has a concierge but no garage.

Farinella & Sam is the architectural firm for the conversion.

It is very close to Zabar's one block south on Broadway and there is a subway station at 79th Street.

The building is just to the west of the Barrington apartment building at 203 West 81st Street, a smaller but similar building with a deep light court that is two steps down from the building line.