20 East End Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 20 East End Avenue by Carter Horsley

This extremely handsome, 17-story residential condominium building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern, the architect of 15 Central Park West and major new luxury towers at 220 Central Park South, 520 Park Avenue, and 30 Park Place.

It will have 41 apartments including three duplex “townhomes” and two penthouses, one of which will have a terrace with more than 4,000 square feet.

Montroy Andersen DeMarco is the architect of record.

It is scheduled to open in 2017.

The Corigin Real Estate Group of which Edward Baquero is the president and Florida East Coast Realty are the developers.

Corigin also developed the Element at 555 East 59^th Street and five student housing properties for New York University and is developing CANco Lofts in Jersey City.  Corigin is a spinoff of  Coalco New York, the American operation of Coalco Development of Moscow.

Bottom Line

With this building, architect Stern now joins Rosario Candela and J. E. R. Carpenter at the designer summit of large, sumptuous apartments and erases the traditional distinction between very fine pre-war and post-war apartment buildings.

Apart from its lack of upfront, drop-dead views, it doesn’t get much better.

Description

The building has a two-story, rusticated limestone base with a two-story-high arched porte-corchère driveway entrance on 80^th Street that leads to a courtyard with a limestone wall fountain.  There is a canopied entrance on East End Avenue flanked by tall and impressive light sconces.

The circular driveway leads to an octagonal lobby with Vermont Racette white marble and Atajia Azul limestone, rift cut limed and grey-washed white oak paneling and an alabaster and bronze chandelier.

The lobby has a three-story limestone staircase that leads up to a library on the second level with a fireplace, a billiard room with a wet bar and a wall of privately keyed lockers for residents to store their favorite cordials, and a private poker room, and down to a wine cellar and tasting room with a kitchen, the fitness center, and storage.

The third through the 12-floor rises without setback with grey-brick façades and some slightly inset large bay windows.  The 12^th floor has an inset Paladian-style corner window beneath short balustrades that are repeated at 10 other setbacks in the quite complex top that culminates in a large arched window watertank enclosure with four short and squat finials.

Some of the setbacks have bay window rooms and there are some decorative balconies.

According to Mr. Baquero, “20 East End Avenue will change the way people think about new-classic design,” adding that “we have evolved from classic roots to exceed today’s modern benchmarks for luxury, without compromising our commitment to the refinement and lifestyle principles of the past.”

Amenities

Two-story-high arched driveway leading to courtyard with limestone wall fountain, octagonal lobby with grand staircase to library, poker room and private lockers for residents’ favorite cordials.

The building also has a doorman and 24-hour concierge, private wine storage, filtered fresh air, a fitness center, a dining room, a bicycle room, and a children’s playroom.

Apartments

Apartments have 11- to 12-foot-high ceilings and washers and dryers and double vanities.  They will have white oak floors stained dark walnut and Gaggenau kitchen appliances. 

Some will have fireplaces.

Apartment T3 is a four-bedroom triplex unit with elevator at the building’s southwest corner  and it has 5,201 square feet of interior space and 663 square feet of exterior space with a 15-foot-long entry foyer that opens onto a 20-foot-wide dining/family room next to a 14-foot-wide kitchen that has a pass-through to a 27-foot-long living room with a fireplace and a 29-foot-long terrace on the first floor, four bedrooms and the curved staircase on the second floor and a 30-foot wide recreational space on the third floor.

Apartment 5D is a 6-bedroom duplex at the northwest corner of the building with 4,399 square feet of interior space and 464 square feet of exterior space with a 17-foot-long entry foyer on the 5^th floor that leads to a 15-foot-wide entry gallery that opens onto a 31-foot-long living/dining room with a fireplace next to an enclosed 16-foot-long kitchen that opens onto a 19-foot-long family room.  The 6^th floor has a 14-foot-long library/bedroom with a 22-foot-long terrace and a 20-foot-long angled master bedroom with a 22-foot-long terrace.

Apartment 5B is a four-bedroom unit at the southeast corner of the building with 3,349 square feet of interior space with an 18-foot-long entry gallery that leads to a 28-foot-long corner living room next to a 19-foot-long dining room with sliding pocket doors next to a 20-foot-long enclosed, windowed kitchen.

Apartment 4A is a three-bedroom unit with 2,968 square feet of interior space with a 14-foot-long entry foyer that leads to an octagonal, 13-foot-wide gallery that opens onto a 25-foot-long living room next to a 16-foot-long dining room with a sliding pocket door next to an enclosed 14-foot-wide kitchen.

Apartment 4C is a two-bedroom unit with 1,913 square feet of interior space and a 8-foot-wide entry foyer that opens onto a 20foot-wide living room next to an 13-foot-long dining alcove near to the 17-foot-long kitchen.