Building: 136 Baxter Street

Located on a quiet, undiscovered, almost secret, tree-lined street, this meticulously renovated red brick building erected in 1915 served as the stable for the City’s Beaux-Art Police Building one block away. In 1927, it became a warehouse for used manufacturing goods and the new owner’s changed the name to the Grand Machinery Exchange. In 2007, it was converted into 14 condominiums and as one of the developers was a famous architectural historian, great care was taken in the conversion to preserve the 13’ Southern Yellow pine ceilings, with heavy timber beams and exposed brick walls. The developers and their architects also chose to leave the faded painted name of the building on the exterior honoring a bygone era. The building is situated between the four neighborhoods of Chinatown, Soho, NoLita and Little Italy. It attracts sophisticated downtown buyers looking for privacy, exclusivity and hints of modern design with exterior pre-war sturdiness.