175 West 95th Street

USA / New Jersey / West New York / West 95th Street, 175
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299-foot, 27-story mid-century modern residential building completed in 1971. Designed by Gruzen & Partners, the tower was originally set back behind a plaza on the west side, with a 1-story commercial wing along 96th Street, and the main residential entrance centered on Amsterdam Avenue; it was originally named New Amsterdam Houses. In 2014-2016 a new base was constructed, extending out farther from the tower slab on the south and west sides. The new base, containing more commercial space, stands two stories tall at the north half, and one floor at its south half, with the residential entrance moved to 95th Street. The base is clad in light-grey cast-stone panels and dark-green glass, with a dark-grey granite water table and grey metal-and-glass storefronts lining the avenue, and with landscaped terrace space on top. The storefronts also extend onto the west end of the south facade, with the main entrance recessed in the center, directly below the tower. This section is faced in light-grey marble, with a set of sliding glass doors and is covered by a black metal and glass canopy that extends past the rest of the base. At the far east end there is an entrance/exit for the underground parking garage. The 2nd floor of the base, at the north half of the lot, has bands of glass in various shapes and sizes. The base is topped by dark-grey metal railings along the west facade and part of the south facade, with a glass railing at the east end of the north facade.

The tower portion is clad in light-tan brick with white-painted concrete floorplates. The west facade facing the avenue has a center bay of double-windows, flanked on either side by another double-window that is fronted by a projecting stone balcony with black metal railings. The balconies continue to the outside, where there are wide, recessed bays with large windows and glass door. Just past the end of the bays and the balconies, the ends of the facade set back slightly, with a bay of double-windows abutting the junction. Continuing to the ends, there is another bay of double-windows, and yet another bay fronted by balconies, with the end bays also recessed and not quite as wide as the recessed balcony bays toward the middle. The double-windows not fronted by balconies have white concrete panels below them, with air-conditioning vents built into them.

The east facade has two sets of similar balconies near the middle, as well as at the north end. In between the two middle balconies, however, there is a double-window bay and a tripartite window bay. There is only one double-window bay between the two northern balconies (abutting the junction of the recessed north end and the middle section), and the south end has two double-window bays with a bay of vents to the south.

The narrower south facade has a centered bay of double-windows, with vents to its left, and a recessed balcony bay to the right; the left part of this bay is only slightly recessed, with a narrow section of the balcony in front, and the right part is deeply recessed, with glass doors. The west half of the facade (with the vents) also projects slightly from the east half. The north facade is similar, with balconies at the west portion, but has no vents to the left of the center bay of double-windows.

During the renovation to the base, the building was also converted from rental apartments to condominiums, with 226 units. The ground floor along the avenue is occupied by a Citizens Bank branch, Key Food Supermarket, and Symphony Veterinary Center.
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Coordinates:   40°47'36"N   73°58'12"W
This article was last modified 2 years ago