Gramercy Place Condominiums (New York City, New York)

 condominium, high-rise, 1987_construction

299-foot, 27-story postmodern residential building completed in 1987. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle and Philip Birnbaum & Associates, it incorporates the 2-story Neo-Classical former New York Bank for Savings fronting Park Avenue South as part of the base. This structure dates from 1894 and was designed by Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz.

The former bank building is faced in limestone. The east facade has three bays, plus a 1-story entrance portico at the south end. The doorway is recessed and framed by paired granite columns with joined Corinthian capitals. Above the columns is an ornate foliate band and cornice that runs across the top of the whole 1st floor, broken in the center for the carved words "THE BANK FOR SAVINGS". Topping the cornice at the southern entry portico is a stone balustrade. Above the entrance, the 2nd floor is set far back, with a round-arched opening that has an ornately-decorated architrave. An identical south-facing bay is at the sidewall that runs forward to the front building line. The three main bays have a low, rusticated base with three ventilation openings at the sidewalk level. Above are three paired windows with transoms and stone surrounds. A single, narrow slit window is located between the two southern main bays. At the 2nd floor there are three tall round-arches with balustrades at their bases, enframing triple, slender Corinthian columns at the sides that merge with the capitals of the piers. There is ample carved decoration above the arches, and a projecting stone cornice with brackets and a geometric pattern topping the 2nd floor. The building has a chamfered corner bay with a modern storefront entrance and subway entrance at the ground floor, topped by a large show window, and a large multi-paned geometric window at the 2nd floor. The foliated band courses and cornices from the eastern facade carry over and across to the north facade, which is virtually a mirror image of the east facade. The portico at the western bay is the main entrance for the new condominium tower, and has a green canvas canopy extending out over the sidewalk.

The new 27-story building has a 1-story base with limestone piers on pink granite bases. They divide the base into nine narrow bays; the eastern bay has a service entrance, and each pier features a light fixture. Above a broad stone cornice, the upper floors are clad in beige brick. The tower is three bays wider, with the easternmost bays rising from the roof of the older building. Some of the bays are slightly recessed and have double- or triple-windows in metal casements above metal vents. The other bays have angled sides and project forward to the building line; each bay has two or three window panes facing north, with an additional, joined pane at the angled part. These bays have smaller metal vents below the windows. Horizontal, white concrete string courses separate the floors.

The outer two bays set back above the older building at the east, above the 14th floor at the west end, before continuing up to the top of the tower. There are angled panes at the corners. The eastern elevation is topped by a concrete roof projection with a large glass circle. The building contains 258 condominium units.

The ground floor is occupied by Morton Williams Market, Gramercy Cleaners, and My Kids Club.

www.280gramercyplace.com/