535 West End Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 535 West End Avenue by Carter Horsley

This handsome, 29-unit, 20-story condominium apartment building at 535 West End Avenue on the southwest corner at 86^th Street advertised itself as a 21st Century "pre-war" building when it was completed in 2011.

It was developed by Extell Development and designed by Lucien Lagrange of Chicago, an architect formerly with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill who also designed some Post-Modern buildings.

The most distinguishing feature of the building is the very broad curve of its façade, diagonally across West End Avenue from the architecturally interesting and impressive Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew that was designed in 1897 by R. J. Robertson.

Every apartment in this building looks out upon that church, which has a tall, octagonal tower and is described in the fifth edition of “The A.I.A. Guide to New York City” by Elliot Willensky and Norval White as “a startling work.”

It is nice to look at a bunch of trees as in Riverside Park, or Central Park, but it is alluring to look smack dab into architectural glory in splendid isolation. This building’s corner curve also opens up the intersection to pay even greater respect to the church building. It also helps that the two apartment buildings that occupy this intersection’s other corners are also very nice and elegant.

Bottom Line

This building has enormous apartments and is located at a dramatic location close to Riverside Park and the splendid diversity of Broadway. It is a very important and grand “infill” for wonderful West End Avenue.

Description

The building has a red-brick façade, cornices that line up nicely with its neighbors and very large apartments - hallmarks of classic "pre-war" apartment buildings.

It also has arched windows on the three-story rusticated limestone base and the top floor of its setback tower. Limestone is also used on the top two floors of the building’s base and the top floor of the tower.

The apartments, which range in size from 3,744 to 8,451 square feet, embody the essence of New York’s greatest apartment houses.

Amenities

The building has an entrance marquee flanked by lighting sconces, a doorman, a concierge, a vaulted lobby ceiling, a large indoor swimming pool, a billiards and ping pong room, pram storage, a large private entertaining space with an outdoor courtyard and a garage.

The building is a short block from a subway station at Broadway and there is excellent cross-town bus service on 86th Street.

It is also a block away from Riverside Park.

Apartments

Apartments have Smallbone of Devizes kitchens with attached family rooms. Kitchens have La Cornue, Miele and Subzero appliances. Apartments also have Miele side-by-side washers and dryers.

“Residence 16” has 6,637 square feet of indoor space and 1,814 square feet of outdoor space on its wrap-around terrace. The “corner” is occupied by the 13-by-20-foot master bedroom that has a 13-by-10-foot sitting room.  The apartment has a 28-foot-by-9-foot- reception hall that leads to a 29-foot-by-21-foot living room with fireplace that adjoins the 29-foot-by-16-foot dining room. It also has a library, five other bedrooms, a family room and a service hall.

“Residence 10” has 8,451 square feet of interior space and the “corner” is occupied by its 17-foot-by-21-foot library that is adjacent to its 25-foot-by-20-foot living room that opens onto its 30-foot-by-20-foot dining room. The reception hall is an impressive 30-feet-by-12-feet.

“Residence 4A” occupies only half a floor and has 4,396 square feet. Its reception hall is only 11-feet-by-7-feet-, but its “corner” is occupied by a 25-foot-by-20-foot living room that flows into an 18-foot-by-20-foot dining room that flows into a 10-foot-by-13-foot library.

Floors three through nine have two apartments, each with five bedrooms. Floors 10 to 15 are floor-through units with about 8,451 square feet each and seven bedrooms. The 16th floor has six bedrooms, 7637 square feet of indoor space and 1,814 square feet of outdoor space.  Floors 17 to 19 have fireplaces and high ceilings.

In July, 2011, Gary Barnett, the president of Extell Development, the developer, decided not to occupy the duplex penthouse that has 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, two staff rooms, a fitness room, a library, a media room and 2,400 square feet of outdoor space.