The building complex at 455 West 20th Street is a unique synergy of old and new. Created out of two buildings, the West Building and the Annex Building, 455 West 20th Street combines the oldest building in Chelsea and, at the time of its completion, the newest building in Chelsea.
The West Building, built in 1836, was reconstructed to new glory by the award-winning architect Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB). The façade, with its hand-laid schist exterior walls and their soaring corner buttresses, was completely restored. The restoration included replacing all the windows, which were carefully selected to match the original profiles and wooden traceries that overlaid the windows of the second floor. The interiors of the West Building’s eight apartments, which were designed by Alan Wanzenberg, feature custom-made crown moldings and baseboards throughout. Every apartment has at least one wood-burning fireplace, and the two top floors have two, one in the master bedroom and one in the living room.
The Annex Building, built in 2013, faced a difficult task. The architects, BBB, had to design a building that visually fit with the West Building and yet still embraced the luxury of modern living in the 21st century. The result speaks for itself. This freestanding building, which is connected to the West Building by a glass atrium-style lobby, features a brownstone base with brick upper stories, cast-stone lintels and sills, and “expressed” bay windows along 20th Street, recalling the projected bay windows of the 19th-century Seminary buildings. The interior of the Annex Building was designed by Alan Wanzenberg and features 5.5-feet-wide rift-and-quartered oak flooring throughout.
Located in Chelsea, 455 West 20th Street is undoubtedly one of New York City’s most exclusive neighborhoods. It’s also home to the High Line Park and a famous waterfront with many piers that offer all kinds of sport facilities and water sport opportunities. It’s also no secret that Chelsea is packed with countless high-class restaurants and a Trader Joe’s—not to mention that there’s a Whole Foods Market just a few blocks away.
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