Building: 105 East 29th Street

Samuel Gordon, president of A. & S. Construction Company, acquired land and constructed The Gordon Building in 1913 to be a loft commercial space available to light industrial businesses such as silk and wool manufacturers. It continued as a commercial space until 1980, when a developer envisioned how the 12-story building with 11-foot ceilings and 4,000 square foot floorplate could be repurposed into high-end residential apartments, similar to many other residential conversions that were under way in what would later become the Nomad area of Manhattan. Key highlights for residential use included amazing views of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, unobstructed views to the East over several two- and three-story buildings allowing significant light and an open feel, and its location just steps off Park Avenue and with convenient subway access.

The 1982 renovation transformed the Gordon Building into a ground floor commercial space plus 11 amazing 3,000+ square foot, full floor, loft-style apartments with keyed access directly from the passenger and freight elevators. The apartments have four exposures and attract significant light from the East and South. The North and South exposures have 40 feet of large windows providing classic city views. The building was organized as a cooperative, but one styled like other downtown cooperatives with more relaxed rules and board governance than their uptown counterparts. It has no mortgage, stable finances, an income stream from the ground floor commercial space, low maintenance, and has both a virtual doorman service and a superintendent to handle deliveries and building management during the day. Pets are allowed as well as sublets after having lived in the building for two years.

One of the earliest owners in the building was Roy Lichtenstein, who lived and painted in his studio on the 8th floor. In 2017, his painting Masterpiece, sold for $165 million, one of the highest prices for a modern artist on record. Fashion designer Joan Vass also lived in the building for many years. Many of the apartments have been fully updated in the last decade, including two apartments renovated by New York-based Shamir Shah that were featured in Architectural Digest, Interior Design Homes and on the cover of AD Italia, one apartment by Suchi Reddy of Reddymade, and one that used Daniel Romualdez, who has been featured in Architectural Digest numerous times for his projects with notables such as Tory Burch, Aerin Lauder, Daphne Guinness and Matt Lauer.

The Nomad area, a contraction of “North of Madison Park”, was known as one of Manhattan’s last unnamed neighborhoods. The name became official in 2012 and has been the site of numerous hotel, residential and restaurant developments over the last decade. The area stretches from 25th street to 30th streets and between Lexington and Sixth Avenues.

Nearby restaurants include Scarpetta, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Café, BlackBarn, Park Avenue Seasonal, Sarabeth’s, ATOMIX, The Clocktower, Veronika, and The Bazaar. Whole Foods and Barry’s Bootcamp are two blocks away, Equinox gym is three, Madison Square Park is four and Eataly is six. Some of the closest hotels to the Gordon Building include the Ritz Carlton, Marmara, Fifth Avenue Hotel, EDITION, The Ned, Ace and Mondrian.

For commuting, the 6 train is two blocks, the Madison Avenue bus stop is two blocks for Northbound travelers, Grand Central is a walk or subway ride, and the R/W/B/F subway lines are also walkable. The building is zoned for Mary Lindley Murray elementary (PS 116) and Simon Baruch Junior High.