95 Greene Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 95 Greene Street by Carter Horsley

This very handsome, 6-story, cast-iron building at 95 Greene Street, which is cobblestone, between Spring and Prince streets in the SoHo Historic District was designed in 1881 by Henry Fernbach.

It has 29 condominium apartments.

Fernbach designed many of the buildings on Greene Street including 19-21, 58-60, 62-64, 69-71, 73-77, 81, 83-85, 84-86, 96, 101, 102, 112, 114-120, 121-123, 125, and 137 Greene. His other buildings include the Central Synagogue on the southwest corner of Lexington Avenue at 55^th Street and the German Savings Bank on Union Square.

The designation report for the SoHo Historic District provides the following commentary on Fernbach:

“His use of cast iron was. creative and imaginative, and his designs display the lightness and openness of cast-iron architecture to its best advantage. French designs are the inspiration for his decorative details. While French Renaissance and Second Empire details predominate on his earlier buildings, by the mid-l870s his details are almost exclusively his personal stylization of neo-Grec forms. This is especially evident in his designs for capitals, pilasters, moldings and keystones. Another prominent Fernbach characteristic which occurs in his later buildings is his elaborate treatment of the main entablature. Intricate brackets, original moldings, and ornamental terminal blocks all combine to give his entablatures great character. He further elaborated his cornices by adding antefixae projecting above the roof line. Fernbach created a cast-iron architecture that was unique in its combination of forms and details. It adds much to the over-all quality and character of the District.”

The three buildings on the site were converted to the Greene House Condominium in 1985.

Bottom Line

Three important cast-iron buildings from the 1880s were combined in 1985 into one condominium building on this very nice cobblestone street.

Description

A very handsome, six-story, cast-iron building with inset windows and ground floor retail space and a nice cornice.

Amenities

The building has a roof deck, a virtual doorman, an elevator, an intercom and cats and dogs are permitted.

Apartments

Penthouse D is a one-bedroom unit with an entry foyer to a 33-foot-long living/dining room with a wood-burning fireplace, a skylight and an open, 12-foot-long kitchen with a breakfast bar and a spiral staircase to a 16-foot-wide sun room and a 38-foot-long roof deck.

Penthouse C is a two-bedroom unit with a 29-foot-long living/dining room with a fireplace and an open, 11-foot-wide kitchen with an island and a staircase to a bedroom on the upper level with a 28-foot-wide terrace and a spiral staircase to an upper, 12-foot-wide terrace.

Apartment 5D is a two-bedroom unit with a 24-foot-wide living/dining room with a wood-burning fireplace and a 15-foot-wide open kitchen with an island.

Apartment 3BC is a three-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads to a 13-foot-wide enclosed kitchen with an island and a 26-foot-long great room.

Apartment 2F is a two-bedroom unit with an 11-foot-long entry foyer that leads to an 11-foot-long open kitchen with an island and a 34-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a 10-foot-long wood deck and a spiral staircase to a 21-foot-long sleep loft.

Apartment 3F is a one-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads to an open kitchen with a breakfast bar and a 37-foot-long, angled living area.

Apartment 4B is a one-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer that leads to an open, 12-foot-wide kitchen with an island and a 32-foot-living room.