40 West 55th Street | condominium

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10-story Neo-Renaissance residential building completed in 1925. Designed by Rosario Candela, it is clad in red ironspot brick above a light-grey stone ground floor. The central entrance has glass double-doors framed by fluted pilasters with stylized capitals supporting a large, arched pediment broken by a cartouche above garlands. There are plate-glass storefront on either side, and a metal service door at the west end.

The upper floors have eight main bays of single-windows, with additional end bays of narrow windows; the six middle bays are spaced closer together. The 2nd floor has beige terra-cotta surrounds at the windows, with rope moldings at the middle six bays, topped by round-arches with medallions bearing various shields and crests. The main bays at the ends have surrounds that are wider at the bases, with transitional ogees, and dentiled triangular pediments on top, above small heraldic shields and ribbons. Gently projecting, shallow wrought-iron railings cross the bases of these windows.

A cornice runs below the 4th floor, interrupted where it has been cut for air-conditioning vents at some of the bays. A similar cornice runs below the main bays of the 7th floor, and there are also vents cut below some windows on the other floors as well. All of the other windows have brick sills and lintels.

The 9th floor is framed by cornices above and below, and has terra-cotta surrounds with dentiled cornices at the windows. The outer main bays have keystones and arched pediments, and rounded iron balcony railings at the bases. The cornice capping the 9th floor has pairs of shields at the ends and a continuous row of garlands. The penthouse level is set back with a terrace in front.

The building was converted to condominiums in 1985, with 35 units. The ground floor is occupied by Rental Bike NYC.

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