40 Park Avenue

USA / New Jersey / West New York / Park Avenue, 40
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203-foot, 19-story early-modern residential building completed in 1950. Designed by Emery Roth & Sons, it is clad in beige brick, like the several other buildings along this stretch of Park Avenue that Roth designed. The east facade on Park Avenue has seven bays, while the south facade on 36th Street totals nine bays.

The main entrance is in the middle bay on the avenue, recessed and framed by curved, concave polished stone wings, with a rounded green canvas canopy extending out over the sidewalk. On either side are square, 2-over-2 windows. At the north end is a service door and a triple-window. Above the entrance, the middle bay is recessed, with 2-over-2 windows at the set-back set, and doors at the sides opening onto the projecting brick balconies with white metal screens. To the north are two bays of triple-windows, and to the south a bay of triple-windows and double-windows. The end bays on either side are also recessed above the 2nd floor, with double-windows, and glass doors in the side walls opening onto additional projecting balconies with white metal screens.

The outer bays set back above the 14th floor, with the center three bays setting back above the 16th. At the middle bay, the balconies end at the 14th floor, but the bay is still recessed at the two floors above. There are multiple setbacks at the top floors, with some of the walls set at 45-degree angles, all topped with white screened railings. At the roof, a tall and imposing, rectangular mechanical penthouse with chamfered corners rises up with vents along its top edges.

The south facade is recessed at the western four bays, which are split by a secondary door. There are two other secondary doors at the center and east end of the facade, where a high grey granite water table runs along the base of the ground floor. The recessed western section has two bays of single-windows (one slightly smaller than the other), a bay of narrow double-windows, and a bay of triple-windows fronted by brick balconies with white metal screens, projecting from the corner created by the recessed area.

The non-recessed part of the facade has two bays of triple-windows framing two recessed bays of square 2-over-2 windows and glass doors in the side wall opening onto projecting balconies with white metal screens. Further east are two more bays of single-windows (one slightly smaller), and at the far east end the balconies from the east facade's south bay wrap partly around onto this facade. This eastern section sets back above the 14th floor, as do the two bays to the west of the center section. The bay of smaller single-windows on the west end stops at the 9th floor, while the other single-window bay ends at a 12th-floor setback; the 10th-12th floors here have angled panes at the side wrapping around to the west facade. The shortest setback is at the far west end, where there are no windows, and sets back above the 9th floor. The four bays in the center of the south elevation extend to a setback above the 14th floor, above which are additional setbacks at the top floors and some angled corners, as on the east facade.

The western elevation is clad is beige brick as well, and has a mix of double- and triple-windows. The bays next to the each end bay are recessed and fronted by balconies with white metal screens, up to the 9th floor. Above the setback at the ends, there are two floors of balconies projecting from the sides, and balconies at the center bay. The main western setback is above the 12th floor. The north elevation is simpler, with single-windows in each bay, and without setbacks until the 15th floor. The building contains 150 apartment units.
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Coordinates:   40°44'55"N   73°58'50"W
This article was last modified 4 years ago