440 Washington Street (OCV Architects); Construction photo from early May (CityRealty)
As work on the Robert A.M. Stern-designed condo 70 Vestry Street comes to a close, a more discreet affair has fully risen behind it at 440 Washington Street (aka 31 Desbrosses). Designed by OCV Architects, known for their tasteful affordable housing designs across the boroughs, this new Tribeca building stands nine floors tall and will be divided into 41 apartments plus a ground-level commercial space.
According to reports, the site's pre-existing rent-stabilized building was at the center of a lawsuit involving its tenants and landlord Ponte Equities. Superstorm Sandy submerged the pre-war stalwart in 4 feet of water, extensively damaging it. Ponte argued the repairs would cost more than the structure is worth and apparently, the courts agreed since this new flashier structure now stands in its place.
In this article:
Topped out structure of 440 Washington as of May 2018
Renderings show the concrete frame will be faced with red-brick and metal — visually standing apart from the sun-soaked limestone skin of 70 Vestry next door. Its 41 apartments will be assembled across 45,000 square feet of residential area, meaning condos or very high-end rentals are likely (this is Tribeca after all). There will be between two to six residences per floor, a ground-floor recreation room, laundry room, and basement storage.
Rendering of 440 Washington Street (OCV Architects)
Unlike 70 Vestry, which overlooks the Hudson River, waterfront views from this address will be limited. Occupying one of the last developable parcels downtown, pricing on 70 Vestry’s remaining availabilities continue to ratchet upward and the lowest priced unit is a three-bedroom asking $7.95M — up almost 10% since it was first listed.
Catty-corner to 440 Washington is the site of the forthcoming Greenwich Hotel, which will accommodate 96 rooms, an 100-person theater, spa, an interior and exterior pool, and a ground-level restaurant, café, and bar lounge. A 2010 rezoning of this northwest corner of Tribeca allowed for the construction of modest-scaled residential uses to front these lightly-trafficked, oft-cobblestoned blocks. Recent projects in the area include Truffles Tribeca, 465 Washington, and 290 West Street.
Google Earth aerial showing location of 440 Washington (CityRealty)
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
