Wellington Tower, 350 East 82nd Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 350 East 82nd Street by Carter Horsley

While the design quality of luxury residential development in Manhattan has improved substantially in the waning years of the 20th century with increased amenities and Post-Modern flourishes, many new projects still have a somewhat flimsy allure as their pastiches seem pasted on and not terribly substantive.

This building, which was erected as a rental project in July, 1999, is one of the few whose "substance" seems quite real. It was converted to a condominium in 2005.

This is a very robust building with strong accents and patterning that begins to be reminiscent of some of the great Art Deco buildings for some major utility companies in Lower Manhattan. From the two-story, rusticated limestone base up to the large protruding piers to limestone battlements on the terraces and roof, this structure conjures solidity and has some architectural niceties such as trellises on the setbacks and arched windows on the 12th and 18th floors.

The 151 apartments have very high ceilings and large windows whose white casements enliven the façades as does the fact that the top two floors beneath the terraces have different fenestration than the rest of the building. The building is not architecturally daring, or innovative, but it manages to be quite vibrant for its massing.

The building has a health club with pool, gas-burning fireplaces, a wine cellar, a tenants' cinema, a children's playroom, a bicycle room, 24/7 doorman and concierge, on-site valet service, sidewalk landscaping, a handsome stainless steel entrance marquee, a revolving door entrance, arched windows on the 12th and 18th floors, crown moldings, and card-access security.

The building is not too far from Carl Schurz Park on East End Avenue and some private schools, but is not convenient to subways.

The building was designed with Art Deco-style accents including very nice grill work for discrete air-conditioners by Schuman Lichtenstein Claman & Efron and Hartman-Cox Architects. It also has 43,516 square feet of commercial space including a 55-car garage in the six-story wing on the sidestreet.