Crystal Green, 330 West 39th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 330 West 39th Street by Carter Horsley

Crystal Green is a handsome, 199-unit residential rental building developed by Glenwood Management at 330 West 39^th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues in the Garment Center.

It was designed by Stephen B. Jacobs who was also the architect for Glenwood's similar but larger Emerald Green “sister” development, which contains 569 apartments and is one block south at 320 West 38^th Street. 

Crystal Green is 25 stories tall and also has a narrow, low rise building at 329 East 28^th Street. 

Glenwood obtained some funding from the New York State Housing Finance Agency to set aside 20 percent of the building’s units, or 41 apartments, for low-income households. The “affordable” apartments will rent from $669 to $874 a month with six studio, 24 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom units available for households ranging from one to four individuals with a total gross annual income ranging from $24,891 to $33,200.

Bottom Line

Crystal Green is a handsome, midblock, full-service, residential condominium building in the Garment Center close to Times Square and the Theater District and convenient to public transportation.

Description

The symmetrical main building on 39^th Street has a very handsome stone base with a two-story-high lobby. The buff-colored masonry of the façade and its long street wall on 38^th Street make the building stand out from its dark-colored neighboring buildings.

The building’s tower is setback and has large corner windows at its east and west ends as well as smaller bay windows on its east and west sides. 

In addition, the setback tower has a different window configuration than the base and it has two inset bays with confronting angled windows. 

The narrow frontage at 329 West 38^th Street is a low-rise building across the street from Glenwood’s Emerald Green midblock development.

Amenities

The building has a doorman, a fitness center and sidewalk landscaping.

Apartments

Apartments have bamboo floors and high-quality windows.

Kitchens are equipped with energy efficient, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. 

Bathrooms have premium fixtures and some have marble baths and soaking tubs. 

Some two-bedroom units have washers and dryers.

History

The through-block site was formerly a parking lot.

Location

The location for many years was quite bleak with garment center offices and “factories” and substantial traffic from the nearby Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Bus Terminal. 

In recent years, however, the area just to the north has enjoyed a major renaissance with a phalanx of new apartment towers and offices sprouting along West 42^nd Street. 

The area to the west and south has witnessed considerable new construction activity as part of the Hudson Yards redevelopment of the railroad tracks west of Penn Station and the creation of a new diagonal boulevard from 42^nd to 34^th streets along which an extension of the 7 subway line is being built. 

Meanwhile, south of 34^th Street the High Line Elevated Park has rejuvenated much of West Chelsea. The former flower market district on Sixth Avenue north of 24^th Street has also been significantly redeveloped with many high-rise residential projects.