140 Franklin Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 140 Franklin Street by Carter Horsley

One of the city's most handsome Romanesque-Revival-style buildings, this structure was erected in 1887 and designed by Albert Wagner, who was also the architect of the famous Puck Building on Lafayette Street at Houston Street.

It is distinguished by its very lively façades that feature balustraded rooflines, large arched windows on the fifth floor and small arched windows on the third and fifth floors, and strong rustication on the first floor that has very wide windows in contrast with the very narrow windows on the top floor. Windows are inset on the richly modulated façades and the corner is highlighted by a protruding element on the top floor that is a particularly nice and interesting design touch.

Sanba International Inc., of which Aldo Andreoli, an architect, is the principal, renovated the building and converted it into 14 condominium apartments.

The street is cobblestoned and there is a subway station at the corner.

The cream-colored-brick building has a doorman and a superintendent. It was originally erected for the Walton Company, a manufacturer of wrapping papers.

This building is not far from several of TriBeCa's most important landmarks such as the former New York Mercantile Exchange Building of 1884 at 6 Harrison Street that was converted to condominiums in 1987, the great Art-Deco-style Western Union Building at 60 Hudson Street between Thomas and Worth Streets, and the fine Art-Deco-style A. T. & T. Long Lines Building of 1918 at 32 Sixth Avenue between Walker and Lispenard Streets.

This building is also very convenient to City Hall and Battery Park City as well as many restaurants and shops.