Cast Iron House, 67 Franklin Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 67 Franklin Street by Carter Horsley

One of the city’ most attractive 19^th Century cast-iron buildings, the Cast Iron House at 67 Franklin Street on the southwest corner at Broadway, was converted and expanded in 2014 to 13 residential condominiums.

Shigeru Ban, who won the Pritzker Prize for Architecture in 2014, was the architect for the conversion that added two setback stories to the original 6-story building that had been designed in 1881 by James White.

In 2005, Mr. Ban created the “Nomadic Museum” using storage containers on Pier 54 on the Hudson River and his work has varied from using paper and wood to the Metal Shutter Houses in Chelsea.

Knightsbridge Properties Corporation, which was founded by Jourdan E. Krauss in 1997, is the developer.  Mr. Krauss bought this building in 2002 and after tenants’ leases expired in 2008 he spent three years renovating and restoring its façade.

Bottom Line

A very beautiful renovation of a 19^th Century cast-iron textile factory building and conversion to residential condominiums, this development boasts duplex apartments with very tall ceilings and two spectacular penthouses with long sliding walls that open the interiors to the outside.

Description

The building, which is also known as 361 Broadway, has a short frontage on Broadway topped with a temple-like roof element and a long frontage on the side-street.  It is close to City Hall Park and public transportation.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman, a children’s playroom, a fitness center, a bicycle storage room, a courtyard with a greenwall, a dance and yoga space, and a residents’ lounge.

Apartments

The building’s lower levels include 11 duplex apartments with ceiling heights ranging from 17 to 25 feet.

One of the penthouses will have four bedrooms and 3,800 square feet of space and the other will have five bedrooms and 4,560 square feet.  Both will have quite long telescoping doors that allow the interiors to be open.

History

The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved Ban’s plan in June, 2012 with some commissioners describing it as “breathtaking” and “magical” according an article by Pete Davies at ny.curbed.com.