The Sherwood, 340 West 55th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 340 West 55th Street by Carter Horsley

If 55th Street between 8th and 9th avenues is the residential centerpiece of Clinton, the 11-story, mid-block building at 340 West 55th Street must be its Gilbraltar, or impressive landmark.

Not because it is so visible, but because its relatively simple architecture is rock-solid secure, a reassuring beacon of civilized urban architecture, an unexpectedly thrilling outpost in the wild west of midtown.

A modest building, it does not have much to flaunt, yet it is surprisingly robust in its bearing, a discrete stanchion.

Its great gray stone base is only one-and-a-half stories high.

Its detailed carving is only atop the two columns at its canopied entrance.

Its angled west wing is sophisticated and subtle and scarcely noticeable.

Its scalloped bandcourse above its second floor is not highlighted by its color.

The red tiles of a mid-level setback on the eastern portion of the façade are not pronounced but echo the scalloped bandcourse one floor below.

The bright pink stone window surrounds and the corner quoins on the western end of the second floor are somewhat muted by the seven columned curved rock balconies beneath the windows. They are akin to a tall fashion model briefly showing her gams as she saunters down her runway, confidant and aloof and proud, strutting her stuff but not making a big scene of it.

The building's west wing has a Venetian-style loggia with seven slender arches on the 9th floor beneath a setback terrace, yet another subtle surprise, and Rampunzel's perch while awaiting rescue.

This is the Sherwood, a 55 unit residential cooperative that was built in 1924. It has a part-time doorman, basement storage a garden, a health club, sidewalk landscaping and a roof deck. Pets are welcome.

An article in the March 2001 issue of The Cooperator by Barbara Wagner entitled "Peculiar Allure" quoted Adele Brechner, a vice president at Douglas Elliman at the time, that "West 55th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues has always been known as the most wonderful block in Clinton," adding that "the things that interest me most are the smaller buildings that have become little jewels in the area." The article noted that "two of her clients, Stephen Plescia and Keith Muller, moved into the 55-unit Sherwood, a co-op at 340 West 55th Street five years ago," adding that "Muller is on the board. The duo chose Hell's Kitchen because they said it fit their life. 'We said no to Chelsea, the Village and the Upper West Side.'"

Another article noted that the building has "an eight-hour doorman and the hallways have gold-painted moldings," adding that "Bathrooms have what the developer calls 'hutches' instead of standard medicine cabinets. There are individual storage cubicles, sauna, showers, and a party room in the basement."

One real estate listing recently described a master bedroom as "baronial" and noted the apartment's windowed eat-in kitchen as "a cook's dream with gorgeous grain matched cherry cabinets, granite counters and oversized glass subway tile backsplash," concluding that "The Sherwood is a long established coop and considered the most desirable building on Clinton's best and prettiest street."