35 Gramercy Twins

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33-39 East 21st Street ¶
New York, NY 10010

A pair of joined 10-story residential buildings forming an apartment complex. The western building at 33-35 East 21st was completed in 1906 as the Wick Building, designed by Daniel H. Burnham of the Chicago firm Burnham & Root. This was one of Burnham's three commissions in New York City. It has an elaborate 2nd-story frieze of terra-cotta, and was built as an addition to its neighbor at 37-39 East 21st. That building was completed in 1903, designed by John W. Stevens.

37-39 has a 3-bay facade that is organized with a 2-story base, a 6-story midsection divided into two parts, and a 2-story top. The ground floor is modernized with the exception of a flanking rusticated pier at the eastern end rising to a stylized capital at the 2nd floor. Siimilar rusticated piers separate the bays containing tripartite windows with stone mullions set above paneled spandrels. An entablature separates the base from the lower 3-story section (floors 3-5) of the midsection. Piers with stylized capitals separate the bays. The tripartite windows have stone mullions; paneled spandrels mark the division between stories. A dentiled cornice sets off the upper 3-story section (floors 6-8) of the midsection. Each floor contains six square-headed windows arranged in pairs. A dentiled cornice sets off the 2-story top section, which is organized as a double-height arcade with the arches carried on piers and the separation between the floors marked by paneled spandrels. A dark-brown modillioned cornice surmounts the facade.

The former Wick Building, at 33-35 East 21st, is faced in brick and terra-cotta. The 5-bay facade is organized with a 2-story base, 6-story midsection, and a 2-story top. The ground floor has been modernized with the exception of a wide ornate terra-cotta band at the western end, which originally framed the base. The band continues at the 2nd floor level, spanning the facade, and flanks the 2nd floor at the eastern end. Similarly adorned vertical bands separate the center bays from the end bays at the 2nd floor. Paneled spandrels set off the window openings. The base is surmounted by a shallow projecting cornice.

The six floors of the midsection are faced in brick, with the three center bays slightly recessed from the end bays. The windows of the end bays have square arches formed by terra-cotta voussoirs and molded terra-cotta sills. The windows of the center bays have molded terra-cotta lintels and sills. A projecting cornice carried on consoles sets off the two upper floors. The window openings are flanked by paneled pilasters with arched openings at the 9th floor and square-headed openings at the 10th floor. A deep projecting modillioned cornice surmounts the facade.

Early tenants of both buildings included furriers, shirtwaist merchants, a leather goods business, cloak and suit makers, and a seller of art novelties. The building were converted to offices in the mid-20th century, and then joined and altered for residential use in 2012. The ground floor of the eastern building is occupied by Cosme restaurant.