Carter's Review

Tower 270 at 270 Broadway on the southwest corner at Chambers Street will not win many architectural words for distinctive design. It is a minimalist rectilinear container with lots of windows and a few setbacks that was erected in 1930 and for decades served as offices for various New York State departments.

The top thirteen floors of the 28-story building were converted to 39 condominium apartments in 2003 ranging in size from 1,998 to 8,117 square feet and they offer spectacular views in all directions.

The developer was RAL Companies of Hempstead, N.Y., of which Robert A. Levine is a principal.

Studio Petrarca designed 17 different floor plans for the apartments.

The building has about 100,000 square feet of offices on floors 2 through 7 with an entrance at 86 Chambers Street and 48 rental apartments on floors 8 through 15.

Bottom Line

Striking vistas and proximity to the World Trade Center and TriBeCa combined with large layouts attract many people to this bland but well-located buiding.

Description

A white-brick building, which is also known as 80-86 Chambers Street, it is close to City Hall, the World Trade Center, TriBeCa, public transportation and J & R, the consumer electronics store.

Amenities

The building has a 24-hour doorman, a concierge and a resident manager. It has a common roof terrace.

Apartments

Kitchens feature Bulthaup cabinets and amenities, SubZero refrigerators and Miele ovens, stoves, hoods and dishwashers. Each residence has a minimum of two bathrooms, including a master bath with glass-paneled shower stall, Philippe Starck soaking tub, Dornbracht fixtures and honed limestone on the floors and walls.

Apartment 16B has a 20-foot-long living room with a 15-foot-long open kitchen with an island and three bedrooms.

Apartment 21B is a three-bedroom unit that has a foyer that leads to a 40-foot-long living/dining room with an open kitchen with an island.

Apartment 22C is a four-bedroom unit that has an 11-foot-long foyer that leads to a 21-foot-long gallery that opens onto a 43-foot-long living/dining room with an open kitchen with an island.  The unit also has a 13-foot-long office and a large terrace.

Penthouse B is a triplex with an entry foyer on the lower level that opens onto a large dining room with an open kitchen and an island that flows into a large living/media reoom.  The lower level also has a small bedroom and a terrace.  The middle level has four bedrooms and the top level is an 800-square-foot terrace.

History

The building was formerly known as the Arthur Levitt State Office Building. It was sold by the state in 2000 for $33.6 million in a sealed bid transaction that was the highest-valued property sale ever consummated then by the State of New York.

Location

There is excellent public transportation and this location is very convenient to TriBeCa and not far from Chinatown.

It is distinguished, however, by its location at the northwest corner of City Hall Park overlooking the great Municipal Building that straddles Chambers Street, the handsome 'Tweed' courthouse building, City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge, the great skylines of Park Row and the financial district. It is a couple of blocks north of the Woolworth Building on Broadway.