Carter HorsleyDec 23, 2011
Carter's Review
The Modern, an 8-unit rental apartment building, at 343 West 16th Street in Chelsea is distinguished by an unusual façade that has four irregularly shaped balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Arpad Baksa, the architect, told CityRealty.com that the intent was to evoke the "fire-escape" ambience of much of the rest of the block but in a modern idiom.
The balconies are set at different planes and, according to Mr. Baksa, the "façade undulates in three dimensions as each floor is atypical and contains distinctively patterned curved windows. The windows fronting on 16th Street "swing" back on forth because building regulations do not permit projections more than 22 inches beyond the building line, Mr. Baksa said.
The building is also unusual because the site was formerly vacant and only 41 feet deep. The owner, Joseph Sbiroli of Venture Land Corporation, however, also owns the 24-unit rental building at 340 West 17th Street that had a depth of about 159 feet and he merged the lots so that he was able to get a 30-foot-rear-yard for the building at 343 West 16th Street, which is now about 62 feet deep. That required approval from the Board of Standards & Appeals, which also approved an increase in the number of dwelling units permitted on the merged lot.
The rear yard is sunken one level at 343 West 16th Street, which has 6 stories and a grass roof that is anticipated to reduce expenses for oil by about 40 percent during normal summer seasons, Mr. Baksa said.
The façade is trimmed with beige ceramic tile.
- Rental built in 2007
- Located in Chelsea
- 8 total apartments 8 total apartments
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