Claridge's Apartments (New York City, New York)

 apartment hotel / serviced apartment, apartment building

16-story Neo-Renaissance residential building completed in 1925. Designed by Carèrre & Hastings, it occupies the full block front along 6tn Avenue. It is clad in brown brick above a 3-story rusticated limestone base with a grey granite water table. Along the avenue the ground floor is lined with metal-and-glass storefronts, and the center section of the east facade is set back above the base. There is stone cladding extending up to the 4th floor, without rustication. On the south facade on 55th Street the rustication only occurs at the end bays, and the ground floor, where the main entrance is located near the center. It has bronze-framed wood-and-glass doors (including a revolving door) flanked by lanterns and decorative wrought-iron panels, all below a wide, fan-shaped metal-and-glass canopy. To the left is a modern storefront and a small 1-story extension topped by a stone balustrade. To the right are two small single-windows with iron grilles, and a storefront window at the end. The ground floor on 56th Street has three large bays of triple-windows at the west end, divided by black granite piers. To the left is a small opening with a double-window, framed by a molding with a large splayed lintel, followed by another triple-window bay and a storefront window at the west end.

The 2nd & 3rd floors of the base along the avenue have five main bays of double-windows in the middle section, set in double-height round-arches; these alternate with four bays of single-windows. In addition there are smaller windows inserted around the south double-window bay, between the center double-window bay and the single-window bay to the north, and at the north end of the middle section. A broad cornice at the top of the 3rd floor, where the setback occurs, is broken at each of the five main bays by a stone colonnade. The north and south end wings both have a similar bay of double-windows set under an arch between bays of single-windows. There are carved spandrel panels between the end bays, and an engaged colonnade breaks the cornice at the double-window bays in the wings. The 4th floor at the wings has paired windows in its middle bays, and slightly-projecting paired stone piers framing the end bays.

The upper floors of the end wings have regular brick quoins at the edges, with large single-windows in the end bays and smaller paired windows in the middle bay. The banding of the quoins extends across the center part of the wings at the 13th-15th floors, with stone band courses setting of the 13th floor, and stone surrounds with shallow triangular pediments at the end-bay windows of the 14th floor. The inward-facing side walls created by the setback in the center section are almost fully banded, and have a bay of single-windows at the front, and a narrow bay of double-windows at the rear. The band courses continue across these elevations onto the center section, and there are stone surrounds with pediments at the front window on the 14th floor. The set-back middle section has end bays of single-windows framing nine middle bays that alternate between narrow double-windows and paired single-windows. Stone band courses line the top and bottom of the 7th, 10th, and 13th floors, with banding extending across the 13th floor. The double-window bays have 2-story borders of brick quoins at the 5th-6th, 8th-9th, and 11th-12th floors. Discreet metal vents are built below most of the windows. The entire east facade is capped by a modillioned cornice, above which rise a few brick chimneys.

The south facade on 55th Street has single-windows in the end bays, which are rusticated at the 2nd-3rd floors, and framed by paired, slightly-projecting piers at the 4th floor. In between are seven bays of single-windows. Cornices frame the 4th floor, where the base ends. The upper floors follow the same decoration scheme as on the east facade. The north facade on 56th Street matches the south facade.

An alleyway runs behind the west facade, which is fully clad in reddish-brown brick and consists primarily of bays of single-windows at the north and south wings and double-windows in the middle. The 16th floor is set back on all four sides and also clad in brick. Above it rises a 2-story, brick-clad mechanical level, set farther back, crowned by two large chimneys.

The building contains 162 apartment units. The ground floor is occupied by Escape Skin Care Salon & Day Spa, Astro Restaurant, M Madison Jewelers, Mitsosa Luggage, J's Cleaners, Maki Maki Premium Japanese Rolls, Sabon Body & Bath, Pazza Notte restaurant, Le Pain Quotidien restaurant, and Chipotle Mexican Restaurant.

www.claridgesnyc.com/