455 West 20th Street (New York City, New York)

USA / New Jersey / Hoboken / New York City, New York / West 20th Street, 455
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A combination of a new 6-story residential building with the General Seminary's old West Building, a 5-story academic building converted to residential, connected by a glass lobby. Both structures will now contain condominiums, under the name and address of 455 West 20th Street.

The Gothic 4-story West Building was originally completed in 1836, the second building on the seminary grounds. It provided accommodations for sixty students in double rooms, with other rooms used for reception and administrative purposes. Over the years the West Building underwent a number of changes; at one point part of the floor was removed to create a two-level library. In 1910 it was completely remodeled.

It is clad in grey schist (a type of stone), with soaring corner buttresses. The windows have splayed stone lintels, and the conventional rectangular window openings were Gothicized through the addition of low pointed arches of wood at the heads. The building has a pitched slate roof, with crenelated parapets and conical turrets of wood. The renovation and conversion to condominiums was designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, with interiors by Alan Wanzenberg. The West Building contains 8 units. Connecting it to the new construction is the 2-story glass-walled atrium lobby.

The 6-story new construction, or annex building, was completed in 2014, built on the site of the semintary's former tennis court. Also designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, it has a brownstone base with upper floors clad in orange brick. The windows have cast-stone sills and lintels, and those on the south facade have aluminum sun shades mounted on them. The top floor is clad in metal and setback from the building line. The annex brings to total number of condominiums to 23.
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Coordinates:   40°44'44"N   74°0'16"W
This article was last modified 11 years ago