173 and 176 Perry Street are the
first two built projects in Manhattan by long-time resident and member of
the New York Five, Richard Meier. The 16-story towers stand at the edge of
Greenwich Village, facing the Hudson River. The two buildings seem to be
aesthetically driven by their location, and the views afforded to their
residents. In this project, Meier used perimeter radiant heat in order to
keep the floor-to-ceiling views unobstructed, and both towers have their
concrete cores facing Manhattan rather than the Hudson for the same
reason. Like so many of Meier's successful projects, these two towers have
an obvious orientation landmark (in this case the river) without some of
which Meier's residential projects seem lost and lacking in direction.
The two buildings feature many
of Meierıs signature design cues, but primarily look like slight
variations on a Mies solution for such a problem. The fact that the two
towers face a major body of water perhaps further emphasizes the
similarity. Location aside, one can't help but quickly see that Meierıs
pendulum, which often swings between Corbusian and Miesian influences,
took a decidedly Miesian swing in this case. The framing in the building's
façade is Meierıs trademark white, which gives the buildings a
distinctive appearance in the Manhattan skyline. As a result of the white
framing, and Meier's understated touch, 173 and 176 Perry Street are
decisively elegant though contrary to the materials used in surrounding
structures.
As refined and elegant as the
towers are, they are not innovative in any way. This is an issue that many
have had with Meier, who has always been more successful at repetition
than innovation. The viewer can easily see that the buildings take only
minimal steps to improve or refine design standards that are commonly
found in buildings throughout the world, and thus Meier manages to inject
only a small amount of his decisive style into the structures. As a
result, what makes the towers particularly unusual in Manhattan is the
fact that such buildings are rarely available in New York City as living
spaces, not their design.
There has been opposition from
long time Village residents and activists. Tom Duane, State Senator, said
of the buildings:
We don't look kindly at
developers coming in and taking advantage of the character of our
neighborhood and destroying it. In a battle for what's more exciting for
people a Richard Meier building or preserving the character of the
Village preserving the character of the Village will win out every
time.
Potential buyers, however, have
certainly demonstrated the viability of such projects in Manhattan. With
current residents such as Calvin Klein, Nicole Kidman, Ian Schrager,
Vincent Gallo and Martha Stewart (who sold her apartment prior to her
sentencing), the buildings have been an amazing financial success.
Bellon 2004
How to visit
The two buildings are located in
the intersection of Perry Street and West Street, in Greenwich Village.
Take the 1 or 9 train to the Christopher St/Sheridan Sq stop. Walk west on
Christopher Street, then north on West Street.