a classic loft, warts and all / limitations of the form
415 W 55 St has a beautiful loft, but…
Unit 3C at 415 W 55 St (offered by Karen Fornash at Corcoran) is the archetype of a (small-ish) loft: the building has some kind of industrial background, ceilings are 12 ft (and seemed higher when I saw it), the space is mostly open, the windows are big. While it is ‘only’ about 1200 sq ft, it definitely passes my smell test for being a real loft.
… there are some ‘issues’
3C is beautifully designed (featured in two magazines), but it also exemplifies many problems with loft apartments, especially with smaller ones.
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It is a classically long and narrow space, with the large windows along one of the narrow sides, seemingly without any load bearing walls. This layout permits only 1 bedroom with windows (unless the living area is to be window-less), so the other “room” cannot be a legal “bedroom” (though it is not illegal to sleep in it), as it is configured here. The kitchen (which looks so bright in the photos) is a looooong way from the windows, more than fifty feet.
There is only one bathroom, since the building’s plumbing stacks obviously run in the middle of the building, along that far-from-the-windows wall. Adding a second bath, if possible at all, will involve some creative plumbing work and either a raised floor or a dropped ceiling to run water and waste lines through. No matter what, the bathroom(s) will be a long way from the bedroom.
The apartment entrance is along this same wall, so one enters alongside the kitchen – which is not everyone’s idea of a graceful entryway.
The apartment itself is beautiful – showing what can be done in an open loft. But the layout will be awkward for many.
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© Sandy Mattingly 2006
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