334-338 West 87th Street

334-338 West 87th Street

NB Number: NB 637-1926

Type:  Apartment Building

Architect:  Gronenberg & Leuchtag

Developer/Owner/Builder: 334-336 West 87th Street Corporation

NYC Landmarks Designation:  Historic District

Landmark Designation Report: Riverside Drive- West End Historic District

 National Register Designation: N/A

Primary Style:  Neo-Romanesque

Primary Facade:   brown brick, Stone, tan brick, and Terra Cotta

Stories: 9

Structure: This nine-story apartment building is located on the south side of West 87th Street, 240 feet east of Riverside Drive. It extends sixty feet along West 87th Street arid is dumbbell-shaped in plan with interior courtyards opening to the east and west. The building is faced in brown and tan brick laid in Flemish bond, with stone and terra-cotta trim. Some of the original six-over-six wood-framed sash windows are extant. West 87th Street Facade: This facade is composed of three horizontal divisions — a base, a midsection, and a top. The one-story base is faced in tan brick with stone trim, rests on a stone water table with basement windows, and is topped by a stringcourse at the second-story sill line. The seven-story midsection, faced in brown brick, is separated from the single story top by stringcourses which join the ninth story’s balustraded balconies. The facade is composed of six bays with rectangular openings and stone sills. The two center and two end bays have paired windows and the remaining bays have single windows. The entrance occurs at the center of the ground story. The round-arched stone enframement has jambs with half columns detailed with spirals and diamonds. Double metal and glass doors have a fanlight above, all with decorative metal grilles. The ground story fenestration differs from that above. To the west of the entrance, single windows flank paired windows. To the east, a pair of windows is flanked by a service door (tapped by a window) and a single window. Windows in this area have stone trim. Paired windows at the second story have stone surrounds with scalloped edging. Paired windows at the ninth story have terra-cotta surrounds with pilasters and rounded arches above. The end bays of the ninth story are flanked by slender spiral colonnettes and are topped by arched corbel tables set into triangular parapets rising above the roof line. Eastern Elevation: The eastern elevation is partially visible from West 87th Street. The brick facing of the front continues (with other colors interspersed), and stringcourses, flush with the wall, return for a few feet. There are no windows visible.

Historic District: Riverside Drive- West End HD

Alterations: About eighty percent of the building’s original windows have been replaced with metal sashes. There are two through-the-wall air conditioners on the facade. A recent awning extends over the sidewalk. The upper story of the facade has been repointed.

History: This apartment building was erected in 1926-27 for the 334-336 West 87th Street Corporation (Maurice Hyman, president) according to the design of the architectural firm of Gronenberg & Leuchtag. The site was previously occupied by three rowhouses. Selected Reference: New York City Department of Taxes Photograph Collection, Municipal Archives and Record Collection, H 2370. 3