The Walton (New York City, New York)

USA / New Jersey / West New York / New York City, New York / West 70th Street, 104
 condominiums  Add category

131-foot, 12-story Beaux-Arts residential building completed in 1904 as a hotel. Designed by Israels & Harder, it opened as the Hotel Walton, and was converted to condominiums in 1981, with units. It is clad in red brick above a 2-story limestone base. Along the avenue the ground floor has three large storefronts, and on 70th Street there is a short continuation of the north storefront at the east end. The west end has two very small storefronts, and to the left is the main entrance. The modern glass-and-stainless-steel double-doors are set below a rounded, black canvas canopy and framed by 2-story fluted Corinthian columns with carved bell flowers dripping from their banding. Just above the canopy are garlands and fat scrolled brackets carrying a stone balcony with a black metal French railing. The 2nd floor at the entrance has two windows, with projecting, carved fruit and ribbons on the piers framing the windows, both of which have keystones. Crowning the 2-story entry is a rounded pediment with blocky modillions alternating with rosettes, and filled by a feathery fan; to either side the columns are topped by fanciful urns. There is also a small display-window at the ground floor immediately to the left of the doors. On the east side of the entrance bay the 2nd floor has three bays of paired windows, and the west side has two. Along the east facade there are six bays of paired windows, split into three groups by two bays of small bathroom windows.

The upper floors have the same window pattern. Those on the 3rd floor have highly-ornamented stone sills with oval flower-like shapes, and are topped by large keystones that merge with the stone spandrel panels between the 3rd & 4th floors, each featuring a central circle. The other floors have the same sills and keystones, with the spandrels repeating above the 9th floor, where there is also a molded string course. The small bathroom windows have much smaller keystones and small stone sills. The most notable part of the east facade is the four bays of 2-story, protruding, copper-clad oriels at the 5th-6th floors. They have wide center panes and narrower angled side panes, with elaborately decorated bases for the projecting bays, as well as ornamented, paneled spandrels and cartouche panels at the tops. The 11th floor has double-windows and intricate crests adorning the piers between them; these were originally supports for the roof cornice, which was later removed. The north facade has the same design elements, also with four 2-story projecting copper bays.

The building has a central light well, and also a light court at the middle of the south elevation. A 12th-floor penthouse level is set back on the east and north sides, hugging both the light court and light well. The south elevation is clad in white-painted brick and has one bay of single-windows on the wing to the east of the light court and two bays to the west. The ground floor is occupied by Lululemon women's clothing store, Icon Style jewelry, and Pain d'Epices bakery.
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Coordinates:   40°46'33"N   73°58'48"W
This article was last modified 1 year ago