Rendering credit: MOSO Studio
With opportune development sites hard to come by in Manhattan, cantilevering buildings are having their day as developers find new ways to unleash untapped development rights on height-restricted sites. While most of the city's recent crop of cantilevering condos are graceless, ODA Architecture has found novel ways to infuse cantilevers into their designs without making the tactic appear simply as a money- and light-grubbing afterthought.
On the heels of their inverted glass condo 100 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side, the Eran Chen-led firm is nearing completion on The Westly, a 20-story, limestone-clad condominium at 251 West 91st Street on the Upper West Side. Resembling a classic wedding-cake building turned on its head, The Westly boasts the largest residential cantilever in Manhattan.
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Smart massing makes The Westly's engineering gymnastics less jarring. From a 50-foot-wide corner lot on Broadway, the structure progressively staggers outward another 35 feet to the north, over an adjacent three-story building. New building heights in this section of Broadway are restricted to 210 feet tall, to better harmonize with the Upper West Side's beloved pre-war architecture.
Rendering of ERA from Broadway (MOSO Studio)
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The Westly's cantilevers allow some upper floors to span more than 8,000 square feet in size, 3,000 more than its ground-floor lot area. The additional real estate allowed its developers, Northlink Capital and Adam America Real Estate, to add at least one graciously-proportioned unit on upper floors and provide an expansive roof deck with a rooftop swimming pool and beautiful views of the skyline and Hudson River.
As we previously covered, developers and designers often make use of cantilevers to provide more agreeable layouts, to reposition bulk to more valuable parts of the building, and in this case, to make use of surplus transferred development rights in height-restricted areas. In other words, when one doesn't have the option to go up, developers can work out agreements with adjacent owners to stretch out.
After kick-starting sales of its 57 two- to five-bedroom condos in June 2021, the team has signed at least four contracts, that include the five-bedroom Penthouse A which was last listed for $13.5 million. According to the team, The contract marks the highest price per square foot ever achieved for a condo above 88th Street in Manhattan. Current listings are priced from $2.65 million, which gets you a 1,250-square-foot two-bedroom with two exposures and river views.
ERA, #14D
"In a bold return to pre-war layouts, the residences offer defined, independent spaces separated formally by corridors and foyers."
ERA model residence photo credit: Katherine Marks
The building has no more than four homes per floor. All residences feature high ceilings, white oak flooring, oversized windows, and custom doors and moldings. Each unit also benefits from an in-unit washer/dryer and multi-zoned central air. Kitchens sport Gaggenau appliances, custom Italian cabinetry by Aster Cucine, and honed marble countertops, backsplash, and center island. Penthouse units feature 11’ ceilings, marble-clad fireplaces, bespoke en suite baths with free-standing tubs, and private outdoor space.
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Rare on the Upper West Side, The Westley will be topped with a rooftop pool with recreation and lounge areas. Additional amenities located on the second floor include a fitness center and yoga studio, a resident lounge, a children’s playroom, a game room, and a music room. Residents enter from tree-lined 91st street into a double-height lobby, with a 24-hour doorman and concierge services. There is also a live-in superintendent, a bike room, a pet grooming station, and private storage available for purchase.
The building is well situated between West End Avenue and Broadway on a peaceful tree-lined street atypical of the Upper West Side. Residents will have easy access to Riverside Park and the shops and restaurants on Broadway. The nearby 96th Street subway stop makes for a short, express commute to Midtown.
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