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Even though the entirety of Manhattan is roughly a little over 30 square miles, the island manages to pack a lot of architectural punch into every inch. The city dates back to the 17th century, and there are still buildings that retain the hallmarks of that era and every era forward.
Residents of Manhattan choose to live in buildings between the towering skyscrapers that make up the city’s skyline, whether in a historic Gothic mansion or a Post-Modern tower. Right now, many of the city’s most sought-after real estate is in post-modernist buildings.
Postmodernist architecture first came into being in the 1970s. A reaction to International Design, postmodernism sought to show that classic design elements were indeed still valid and beautiful in a modern sense. Classical features and materials are found in postmodern design, along with advanced building features such as glass and steel.
One Union Square SouthOne Union Square South
The 27-story luxury tower features views of Greenwich Village, the Midtown skyline, and Union Square’s famed and festive Greenmarket. A combination of uptown luxury and downtown style, One Union Square South has a stunning artwork called Metronome on the façade, a mixed media piece that is the largest privately commissioned public artwork in the city.
Designed by Davis Brody Bond, the luxury rental apartment is steps away from nightlife, shopping, and fine dining and offers amenities including a grassy area, rooftop, concierge and 24-lobby attendant.
497 Greenwich St497 Greenwich St
The post-modern apartment building designed by Winka Dubbeldam was built in 2004 out of a space formerly occupied by a warehouse. The 11-story building is distinguished by its glass façade – a ten thousand square-foot “curtain-wall.” Offsetting the new glass and steel is the original brick, merging past and present. There is a crease between the buildings, offset by cantilevered balconies, which makes the building appear to undulate.
The architecture is notable not only for its unique appearance but because of its ability to blend into the formerly industrial neighborhood as well as merge domestic privacy with city living. The building features views of lower Manhattan and the Hudson River and is fully equipped with luxury features including an art gallery, gym and spa, screening room, wine cellar, and a duplex guest apartment.
425 Fifth Avenue425 Fifth Avenue
Right in the heart of the livable Murray Hill neighborhood, 425 Fifth Avenue by Michael Graves & Associates and H. Thomas O’Hara, is a towering 55-story limestone and brick apartment building that dominates the area’s skyline. It is also distinctive for being the 73rd tallest building in the city. The 197 units in the building include feature luxury amenities such as gourmet kitchens, marble baths, hardwood floors, and in-home washers and dryers.
The Trafalgar HouseThe Trafalgar House
Located at 188 East 70th Street; when The Trafalgar House was first built in 1986 by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates Architects, it was proclaimed to be amongst the most elegant postwar apartment houses on the Upper East Side. The 31-story condo building has retained much of its prestige thanks to a prime location on a side street in a neighborhood filled with art galleries, townhouses, and restaurants.
The building has a beautiful roof and some units feature terraces, but there are no balconies. Building amenities include a welcoming lobby, doorman, sidewalk landscaping as well as a garden, and a health club