Walker Tower Condominium (New York City, New York)

 condominiums, high-rise, interesting place, Art Deco (architecture), 1929_construction

322-foor, 24-story Art-Deco residential building completed in 1929 as a 20-story office building. Designed by Ralph Walker for the New York Telephone Company, it was used as a telephone hub. The facades are clad in buff-colored brick, with a grey granite water table at the lower half of the ground floor. The base of the building is highlighted by large ventilation vents for the switching equipment at the sides on 18th Street and very attractive, projecting and highly detailed piers in the center. The bronze-colored vents, rising to the first main setback above the 7th floor, are fancifully ornamented with angular Art-Deco patterns. The five in the center rise uninterrupted to the setback, divided by narrow, textured brick piers, while the two end bays have individual vent covers at each floor. These vents also continue for two bays around the corner on the east elevation, above the 2-story entrance vestibule. The south facade has more utilitarian vents of simple black metal, also organized into five center bays and two end bays, divided by projecting coursed brick piers. The brick spandrels between the center vents are projected forward at angles, and there are ornamented silver stainless steel spandrels between the 1st & 2nd floors. This facade also sets back above the 7th floor, the first of eight setbacks that gradually narrow the tower in the center. The projecting, angled piers continue up both the north and south facades, creating a curtain-like look to the walls. The eastern wall rises vertically, mostly blank brick, with windows only at the edges on the upper floors.

Since the building originally functioned to house telecom equipment, many of the upper floors required new windows to be created in the walls for the new condominiums. The new top floors are striking, combining the original architectural forms below with black metal fins and brass ornamental panels that borrow the electrical motifs from the original design. Crowning the building are its four spires.

The entry showcases Walker's imagination and unbridled skill in applying modern ornament and creating patterns with building materials to evoke an almost theatrical architectural experience. The dramatically angled, deeply recessed arched entry is framed by vertical patterns in the brick which fall almost like tall stage curtains parting across the facade.

The building was converted to residential by CetraRuddy in 2012, and named after the architect. Four new floors were added to the building during the conversion developed by JDS Development and Property Markets Group as well as four thin spires atop the western edge. The lower seven floors house a Verizon switching station with an entrance on 17th Street; the residential entrance is on 18th Street. Both entrances are through small, 2-story high wings at the east end of the building, recessed and lined with nickel and brass and sunbursts and electrical motifs. The interior lobby was redesigned with plaster elements by SuperStrata.

www.walker-tower.com/

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