55 White Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 55 White Street by Carter Horsley

This important, 7-story, cast-iron building at 55 White Street at the southwest corner at Franklin Place between Broadway and Church streets in TriBeCa was built in 1860 and has 17 apartments. 

It was designed by John Kellum & Son for Eliot Condict and Samuel H. Condict, cousins and partners in the saddlery business. It was converted to residential use in 1988-1989 and was designated a New York City landmark in 1979.  

Kellum was one of the city’s major commercial architects and an important figure in the development and design of cast-iron architecture. His works included the former A. T. Stewart store on Broadway at 10th Street, the former Ball, Black & Company Building at 565 Broadway and the James McCreery & Company Buidling at 801 Broadway.

Bottom Line

An attractive cast-iron building in TriBeCa with superb diamond-point quoins and some nice arched windows.

Description

Its façade came from Daniel D. Badger’s Architectural Iron works.

The landmarks designation report provides the following commentary about the building: 

“This design is an especially noteworthy example of the so-called ‘sperm candle’ façade, which is indigenous to New York and is characterized by double-height arcades with tall and slender columns which reminded nineteenth century observers of candles made from sperm whale oil. This type of façade emphasizes verticality and openness, characteristics particularly suited to the properties of cast iron. No. 55 White Street is among the largest of the few remaining ‘sperm candle’ designs in New York City and is particularly distinctive in that the façade has a one-bay return on the Franklin Place side elevation. Other notable features of the design are diamond-point quoins, molded spandrels, and an elaborate cast-iron cornice with modillions, a corbel table, and console brackets. Windows have two-over-two double-hung sash. The first story retains its original cast-iron storefront framing members, featuring stylized Corinthian capitals and vermiculated quoins, which were recently uncovered (when later accretions were removed) and restored.” 

The five-story building has arched windows on two floors. 

The “diamond-point quoins” are particularly striking as they are sharply defined and serve as “zippers” to very neatly sew up the building’s composition and are nicely echoed in the lower part of the medium-size cornice. The “sperm candle” elements are not as important as suggested by the designation report as they are quite thin and not as strong an element as the good window arches. They add a bit of delicacy to an otherwise quite strong composition.

Amenities

It has a roof deck, a bicycle room, an elevator and storage space but no doorman.

Apartments

Apartment 1C is a triplex with a entry foyer on the main level that leads to a 31-foot-long living/dining double height room with a wood-burning fireplace and a 15-foot-long enclosed kitchen and a 13-foot-long bedroom and a laundry on the main level and a master bedroom and a 10-foot-long office with a long open walkway on the upper level and a 25-foot-long entertainment room and a third bedroom on the lower level. 

Apartment 2C is a two-bedroom unit that has a entry foyer that leads to a 28-foot-long living/dining room next to a 15-foot-wide enclosed kitchen. 

Apartment 4C has a 24-foot-long entrance gallery that leads to a 27-foot-wide great room with a wood-burning fireplace and a 15-foot-long enclosed kitchen.  The apartment has a 27-foot-long master bedroom and a 13-foot-long second bedroom. 

Penthouse B has a 9-foot-long entry foyer that leads to a 22-foot-long living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a 15-foot-long dining alcove and open kitchen.  The three-bedroom unit has very long, narrow terraces.