Crystal54, 351 West 54th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 351 West 54th Street by Carter Horsley

This very handsome, mid-block building at 351 West 54^th Street between 8^th and 9^th Avenues seems out of place because its very attractive cast-iron façade looks like it would be one of the premier buildings in SoHo, which is noted for its fine inventory of cast-iron buildings.

The 7-story building, which is called Crystal 54, was erected in 2016 and has 33 condominium apartments.

The Omnia Group, led by architect and developer David Paz, developed the building with Naveh Shuster and the Northwind Group as equity partners. Red Hook-based architect Nataliya Donskoy’s ND Architecture & Design is the architect of record.

A June 9, 2017 article by E. B. Solomont at therealdeal.com said that “Bentley Zhao’s New Empire Real Estate Development forked over $34 million for a newly built condominium building in Hell’s Kitchen, according to property records filed with the city.”

The developers had paid about $8 million for the site in 2012 and replaced a two-story commercial building.

The article noted that “The deal is New Empire’s latest bet on the neighborhood,” adding that “It recently filed plans for a seven-story residential building at 424 West 52nd Street that will have seven full-floor condos.”  It also said that New Empire is planning a seven-unit condo at 409 West 45th Street and is developing a 112-unit, 49-story condo at 131 East 47th Street, which Zhao bought for $81 million from Extell Development in 2015. 

Bottom Line

An extremely good-looking, large new cast-iron, mid-rise, mid-block building in Midtown West.

Description

Above the ground floor, the building has a strong grid appearance with large, two-pane windows between protruding continuous spandrels and attractive mullions.

The fenestration treatment extends to the ground floor except for the entrance and garage entry that are at the west side of the building.

The building is capped with a bold but simple cornice.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour gym, a part-time concierge/doorman, a landscaped roof, a video intercom, a 3-car garage and private storage.

Apartments

Apartments have washers and dryers and Miele kitchen appliances.

The ground floor has four duplex apartments.