Chelsea Arts Building

 office building  Add category

143-foot, 12-story Neo-Gothic/Neo-Renaissance office building completed in 1912. Designed by Buchman & Fox, it has a tripartite composition, with a 2-story limestone base (the ground floor since re-clad in black corrugated metal), an 8-story buff-colored brick midsection, and a 2-story crown of white terra-cotta.

The main entrance is near the east end, with glass double-doors below a peaked, red canvas canopy. The west end has a freight entrance with metal double-doors. In between are a pair of metal-and-glass storefronts with centered, recessed glass double-doors. The 2nd floor has four large bays of tripartite windows with brown iron framing, separated by paneled, brown iron pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The base is capped by a stone cornice.

The midsection has four bays of triple-windows between brick piers with angled ends. The window panes are divided by black iron mullions, and have stone sills. The brick spandrels between floors in each bay have a cross-hatch brick pattern and a central stone shield. The facade is dotted with protruding air-conditioning units. The 10th floor has segmental-arches over the window bays.

The crown has projecting, half-octagonal pillars overlaying the middle of each pier, ending in a crenelated roof line. The triple-windows have terra-cotta mullions and spandrels, and the 12th-floor windows are slightly arched. The ground floor is occupied by Fitness Showrooms Manhattan, and Starbright Floral Design.