55 Hudson Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 55 Hudson Street by Carter Horsley

This very handsome, 10-story building at 55 Hudson Street in TriBeCa on the southwest corner of Jay Street was erected as a warehouse and factory in 1891 for the American Express Company.  It was designed by Edward Hale Kendall.  It replaced the company's freight depot on the site that was erected in 1867. 

This Romanesque Revival building was converted to 63 co-operative apartments in 1983. 

It is not far from several subway lines. 

Bottom Line

A substantial Romanesque Revival warehouse building in a prime TriBeCa location was built in 1891 for American Express and was converted in 1983 to 63 co-operative apartments.

Description

The building has a terracotta cornice with an arcaded brick parapet. 

It has bandcourses above the second, third and sixth floors.  The sixth and the top floors have arched windows. 

The Staple Street façade has brick with segmental window openings and retains its cast-iron lintels on the first floor.  The windows originally had iron shutters. 

The building's lower two floors are rusticated. 

The building's lobby has two entrances. 

Amenities

The building has a full-time superintendent and a six-step-up entrance.

Apartments

Apartment 7EF is a two-bedroom unit with a long entry foyer that leads to a 25-foot-long living room that opens onto a 24-foot-long dining room and an open, 11-foot-wide kitchen with an island, and a long home office and a 24-foot-wide den. 

Apartment 9C is a one-bedroom unit with a 22-foot-long living room with an open, 11-foot-long kitchen and a 13-foot-wide office. 

Apartment 3A is a one-bedroom unit with a 30-foot-long great room with an open kitchen with a breakfast bar and a 7-sided, 14-foot-long den.

History

Prominent businessman Leopold Schepp, a spice and food importer, commissioned an imposing ten-story factory, warehouse, and office building from Stephen D. Hatch; it was erected in 1880-81 at No. 47-53 and served as a coconut processing plant for many years. 

An equally impressive seven-story warehouse was designed by Edward Hale Kendall for brothers Robert and Ogden Goelet, real estate developers belonging to one of the city's most prosperous and socially prominent families; built in 1881-82 by Clarence True, No. 84-94 had among its early occupants butter wholesalers. A southern extension (now demolished) was added to the building in 1884-85 and occupied by the Anglo Swiss Condensed Milk Company, replacing three buildings.