309 East 49th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 309 East 49th Street by Carter Horsley

In the rectilinear grid of midtown, there are few curves, but this building does its best to improve the count as all of its many balconies have soft curves. There is no question that curves are gentler psychologically, and their relative rarity in Manhattan makes them always welcome even if they are merely tacked on to an otherwise conventional rectilinear structure as is the case here.

This 22-story building between Second and First Avenues was erected in 1962 and converted to a condominium in 1982. It is one of the most impressive sidestreet buildings in the city as it has a striated exposed concrete façade that gives it the appearance of an elegant light gray flannel suit, a very lush and impressive side plaza with a sloping landscaped hill and an angled entrance to a handsome, modern lobby.

Many of the apartments have balconies that are stacked at the building's corners, but on alternate floors in the middle of the building's façade, which provides them with considerably more "light and air." The balconies are very large and attractive as they have rounded edges and are mostly solid, which provides the building with a greater sculptural quality as well as providing the residents with a greater sense of security and comfort. A nice added touch is that the tops of the balcony walls are white as is the bottom edge, which creates a pleasant design pattern.

The doorman building is close to the attractive Beekman Place neighborhood and not far from the United Nations and its large, lovely park. It is convenient to cross-town buses and is a fairly short walk to the interesting office buildings along Third Avenue. The neighborhood, which has considerable traffic, has many restaurants and is desired for its convenience to midtown. Interestingly, just to the west of this building is another apartment building clad in striated exposed concrete, but they are unrelated.