Iris TriBeCa, 19 Park Place: Review and Ratings

Review of 19 Park Place by Carter Horsley

This sliver apartment building at 19 Park Place across from the new Four Seasons Hotel by Robert A. M. Stern and the great Woolworth Building by Cass Gilbert looks a bit like a small chip off the block of the spectacular, high-tech, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank tower designed by Norman Foster in Hong Kong and completed in 1985.

It was designed by Ismael Leyva, who is best known for the skinny wedge apartment tower at 785 Eighth Avenue just to the south of World Wide Plaza.

It is somewhat similar to his proposed rounded prow design for a corner site at 85 Flatbush Extension in Brooklyn.

This 21-story tower, which goes through the block to 16 Warren Street, was developed by ABN Realty, which is headed by Dr. Chun Ka Luk and also built Chelsea Royale on West 24^th Street.

This building has 24 condominium apartments.

It is between Broadway and Church Street just to the north of the World Trade Center complex and just to the west of City Hall Park.  It was formerly known as TriBeCa Royale.

Bottom Line

A mid-block sliver across Park Place from two of Lower Manhattan’s major architectural glories, Cass Gilbert’s Woolworth Building, and Robert A. M. Stern Four Seasons tower.

Description

According to an August 9, 2013 article by C. J. Hughes in The New York Times, terraces that “will line both the front and back façades will be oval in shape, giving them the appearance of petals on a branch.”

The terraces have semi-circular balconies and tall corner windows.

The lobby has a 19-foot-high waterfall by Amanda Weil that cascades into a trough that leads to a small circular pool by the double-height windows facing the street where there is an illuminated green wall.

The article said that Dr. Luk was taking the project over from his wife, Nancy, who died in 2011 from a brain aneurysm.  The “N” in the company’s name stands for Nancy and the “A” is for a son, Albert, and the “B” is for Bernice, a daughter.

Amenities

A private full-floor lounge with a landscaped garden with a small pool serves as a retreat for residents.  Other amenities include a fitness center, a children’s play area, cold storage and heated sidewalks.  Sky terraces with shared wet bar are available for purchase.