155 Perry Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 155 Perry Street by Carter Horsley

This 8-story, midblock building was erected in 1920 and converted to a condominium in 1984. It has 32 apartments.

It is located on a cobblestone street between Washington and West Streets in the heart of the West Village. Cobblestone streets, of course, are the height of elegance, at least for people with a sense of history and aesthetics. Indeed, it is close to the West Village Houses that were designed by Jane Jacobs, the author of "The Death and Life of American Cities" and a very influential urban planner who emphasized the importance of low-rise buildings. Despite her widely applauded theories, the dark brown, utilitarian, bleak and banal West Village Houses, however, are among the most unattractive residential buildings ever erected in the city and run for several blocks along Washington Street.

This white-brick building, in contrast, has a very handsome entrance with a rusticated arch that is unusual in that it is a tapering arch. Its façade, also, is festooned with nice medallions and the two-step-up entrance leads to a modern, pleasant lobby highlighted by a large circular mirror facing the entrance.

Remarkably, the West Village Houses have not ruined the ambiance of the West Village, which is one of the most delightful communities in the city with many very pleasant streets, brownstones, restaurants and boutiques.

This building has no doorman, no garage, and no sidewalk landscaping, but it has discrete air-conditioners.

The proximity to the river about a block away is enticing and there is good public transportation a few pleasant blocks away.

Carter B. Horsley