Sofia Storage Center

 warehouse, self storage, Renaissance Revival (architecture)

122-foot, 11-story Utilitarian-style (with Neo-Renaissance elements) storage building completed in 1923 as the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse. Designed by George S. Kingsley, it wraps around the 5-story building at the northwest corner of the block. In 1952, the Sofia Brothers company bought the building as the main location for their moving and storage business.

The building is clad in buff-colored brick and terra-cotta above a 2-story rusticated limestone base, painted black at the ground floor. The main facade on Amsterdam Avenue is organized into four bays at the base. The north bay has the main entrance into the facility, with a wood-framed glass door flanked by show-windows. There are storefront in the middle two bays, both with central entries, and a smaller storefront in the south bay, with a recessed entry at the left. At the 2nd floor the middle two bays have tripartite windows with black iron framing, divided into upper and lower sections by an iron band course across the middle; the window panes at the lower sections are separated by slender colonnettes. The narrower outer bays at the 2nd floor have segmental-arches with large keystones, and are filled by tripartite windows as well, also divided horizontally into upper and lower sections by iron bands. The north bay is further adorned by a gilded circle at the base of the upper section, dipping into the top of the horizontal band, where it rests on hanging fruit pendants. A panel below reads Safety-Security. Flanking the keystone of the arch are garlands, with large hanging pendants of fruit and ribbons framing the upper section of the bay. The 3rd floor is transitional, with three horizontal stone bands across the brickwork. In the center is a set of paired windows (each with an upper and lower part of 3-over-2 panes), framed on the top and sides by ribbon-and-fruit bands, and separated by a projecting column in the form of bundled sticks with ribbon, crowned by an eagle crest. Matching bundles mark the edges of the outer bays, crowned instead of axe heads. The end bays project slightly, forming pavilions at both ends. They both have one window matching those in the center, with stone surrounds, splayed lintels, and scrolled brackets carrying triangular pediments. They are flanked by cartouches bearing the letter M, for the original owner, Metropolitan Storage.

The upper floors also have one window in each end pavilion, and two windows in the center. The end pavilions have regular banding in the brick, and a vertical stone column running up the center of each, with beveled edges, framing the windows. There are brick spandrels between the windows at each floor, with stone top and bottom caps. The center section has stone lintel courses across each floor, and individual stone sills at the windows. At the 11th floor the pavilion windows are round-arched, with projecting architraves, flanked by fruit-and-ribbon pendants extending down to the top of the previous floor, and topped by splayed lintels crowned by shallow peaks at the roof line. Large decorative panels flank the pavilion windows, with large scrolls.

The south facade is an expanse of blank beige brick with a rooftop water tower visible above it. The north-facing and west-facing elevations overlooking the shorter corner building are the same. The narrow north facade extending out to 83rd Street has a garage entrance on the right with a roll-down metal door. To the left is a tall, narrow black metal door. The upper floors have three bays of window openings, but the western one has been filled in at each floor, with a vent at the 2nd floor. There is also a vent with a decorative metal grille at the east bay of the 2nd floor, and all three openings at this floor are topped by tall keystones. The upper floors are framed by regular brick quoins, and the windows openings have stone sills and brick lintels. All of the eastern bay openings have open shaftways. At the top of the 10th floor are two large medallions at the middle piers, with smaller ones to the side. The 11th floor has stone surrounds at all three window openings, with fruit-and-ribbon ornament flanking the outer bays. Two large scrolls crown the quoined end piers, and the center of the facade is crowned by a triangular pediment.

The east elevation is plain brick, with three widely-spaced bays of single-windows. The ground floor along the avenue is occupied by Purdy Girl boutique, Excellence Barber Shop, and PetHealthStore.