30 Morningside Drive: Review and Ratings

Review of 30 Morningside Drive by Carter Horsley

This rental apartment conversion of the former St. Luke's Hospital complex of four 9-story buildings at 30 Morningside Drive in Morningside Heights was completed in 2019. 

The full-block development, which also includes a two-story former carriage house, has a total of 204 rental units. 

The hospital was originally designed by Ernest Flagg in 1896.  He was also the architect of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington and in New York of the Cherokee Apartments on East 77th Street, the Little Singer Building on Broadway in SoHo in1907 and the Singer Building with its great bulging top on Broadway in 1908, which was demolished in 1968. 

The conversion was undertaken by Delshah Properties of which Michael Delshah is a principal and designed by Cetra/Ruddy. 

It is also known as 401 West 113th Street and 400 West 114th Street. 

An October 26, 2016 article by Evan Bindelglass at newyorkyimby.com provides the following commentary: 

"A quintet of former hospital buildings in Upper Manhattan are on their way to becoming part of a residential development. On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved alterations and infill for former parts of St. Luke’s Hospital, now known as Mount Sinai St. Luke’s, in Morningside Heights. 

"In June, the hospital sold the five buildings to Delshah Capital for $115.5 million. The hospital plans to use the proceeds from the sale to fund 'a master plan to expand and enhance cardiac services, consolidate behavioral health and addiction inpatient and outpatient services, create a Diabetes Center for Excellence, and establish an on-campus Mount Sinai Doctors medical mall to provide patients with comprehensive medical care in one location,' according to the hospital’s website. 'An expanded and modernized Emergency Department will include space allocated for an on-campus Urgent Care Center,' the site continues. 

"As for the conversion plan, YIMBY reported in July that it calls for 204 apartments across 240,614 square feet of residential space. That works out to an average unit of 1,179 square feet. The development will go by the address 30 Morningside Drive. The developer is applying for preservation tax credits. 

"The buildings in question are the Plant, Scrymser, Travers, and Minturn pavilions, and the two-story former ambulance carriage house they surround, all located on a site bound by West 113th Street, Morningside Drive, and West 114th Street. The Travers and Minturn pavilions and the carriage house are not landmarked properties. The Plant and Scrymser pavilions, designed by Ernest Flagg and built between 1904 and 1906 and between 1928 and 1929, respectively, were designated a combined individual landmark in 2002. 

"The proposal was presented by preservation consultant Ward Dennis of Higgins Quasebarth & Partners and project architect John Cetra of CetraRuddy. 

"Though there are a lot of details, the plan is relatively simple. A disused mechanical structure between the Minturn and Plant pavilions on West 113th Street will be removed and an entrance restored to the connector between those pavilions. 

"The connector between the Plant and Scrymser pavilions will be the location of the main entrance and a new ADA entrance, via a path cut through the left fence. There are five levels of balconies on the connector. The cages will be removed from them and new railings will be installed. The interior of the connector will also be filled in. 

"Currently, the carriage house is visible if one looks between the Scrymser and Travers pavilions on West 114th Street, but a new six-story connector will be constructed, which will block the view. The material will be white formed metal. 

"The carriage house will be retained, with some non-historic extensions removed. What remains will be restored. 

"In fact, the entire complex will get restoration work, including masonry repair, window replacement, removal of some infill, insertion of new windows, extension of the bulkhead of the Scrymser pavilion, creation of a rooftop amenity space atop the Scrymser pavilion, and work to ensure required light and air throughout the development. There will also be work, including infill, on the Travers and Minturn pavilions, but because they are not landmarks, that wasn’t fully detailed in Tuesday’s presentation. 

"LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan called it a 'very nice project.' She said the restoration work looks great and the additions 'work harmoniously with the landmark.' She also said the off-landmark components work well. Overall, she said the approach was 'incredibly sensitively done.'" 

The Fifth Edition of the "A.I.A. Guide to New York City Architecture" by Norval White, Elliot Willensky and Fran Leadon, published in 2010, commented about the Plant and Scrymser pavilions that "the western pavilions have been replaced the handsome Baroque dome is gone, although its drum is still there, but the high mansard roofs and profusion of Classical detail give the original buildings their dignity and charm," adding "Still gorgeous." 

A January 30, 2019 article by Chava Gourarie at the Commercial Observer reported that Mr. Shah financed the project, "estimated to cost $250 million, with a combination of debt issued in Israel, EB-5 funds and a $130 million construction loan from Square Mile Capital. Now, the developer has closed a deal for $34.3 million from an unnamed investor that will utilize a federal tax credit program that helps subsidize the rehabilitation of historic buildings, according to documents filed with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The identity of the investor was not immediately clear." 

"Under the structure of the deal," the article continued, "the investor will net lease the building for 27 years, so that the developer can pass on the tax credits to the investor once the building is completed, and has met the requirements of the federal program. The investor will pay $12 million in fixed base rent per year, and anything above $12 million in income will be split between the developer and the investor, at differing rates over time. The $34.3 million will be dispersed over time, beginning with $2.6 million at the signing, and the remainder tied to financing and construction milestones. 

The cathedral sold off land to permit the construction of apartment buildings on its land, one of which was on its north side, directly across from the south side of the hospital complex, which is near the campus of Columbia University.

Bottom Line

Although it is missing its great Baroque dome at its center only two of its original wing building remain and its unobstructed views of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine have been filled in by a modern apartment building, this complex, with its great low-rise former ambulance center now an amenity center, it convenient to Central Park and Columbia University and good public transportation.

Description

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a variety of changes to this complex originally designed by Ernest Flagg.  The changes by CetraRuddy have connected different buildings but maintained the formed metal façade nature of the architecture.

Amenities

The development has a full-time doorman, a live-in superintendent, a gym, a roof deck, a garden, a media room, a laundry, a business center, a children's playroom, a billiards room with a fireplace, a pet space, a handsome carriage house two-story-high lounge with library and catering kitchen, and storage.

Apartments

Apartments have custom solar shades, Bosch washers and dryers and some have 11-foot ceilings. Kitchens have Italian lacquer wood cabinetry, white quartz countertops and Bosch ovens, cooktops and microwaves. 

Apartment 309 is a three-bedroom unit with a long entry hall that leads to a 21-foot-long living room with an open kitchen with an island and a private terrace. 

Apartment 3B is a three-bedroom unit with a 17-foot-long living room with an open kitchen with an island. 

Apartment 3A is a two-bedroom unit with a 19-foot-long living room with an open kitchen with a breakfast bar.