Building: 37 West 12th Street

Butterfield House, at 37 West 12th St, is a luxury, full service, 24-hour doorman coop building located between Fifth and Sixth Avenue on one of the most sought after blocks in Greenwich Village’s Gold Coast. Built in 1962, the 102-unit residence is comprised of two wings; a 7-story building facing West 12th Street and a 14-story building facing West 13th Street. The two wings are connected by a glass-walled corridor that runs through the building’s landscaped interior courtyard with fountains. The interior garden greatly increases the number of apartments enjoying an attractive outside exposure. The entrance to the residence is on West 12th Street. The building is named after General Daniel E. Butterfield, a Union officer during the Civil War and the composer of “Taps.” who’s home was on the site of the current West 12th Street building.

In 1963, the architects for the building, Mayer, Whittlesey & Glass, received an award from the Municipal Art Society of New York for successfully blending Butterfield House into its surroundings by incorporating some of the qualities inherent in the neighboring brownstones. The townhouse and brownstone character of the block has been incorporated into the building through the use of bay windows and a special brown brick, similar in color to the neighboring brownstones. In addition, many of the residences are floor-through apartments, overlooking a street at one end and landscaped gardens at the other, reminiscent of floor-through apartments in brownstones and townhouses. The West 12th Street building was also built low to avoid overpowering the townhouses and brownstones that line most of West 12th Street.

In addition to having a 24-hour doorman, other amenities of the building include central air with temperature controls in every room, a fitness room, private storage lockers, bicycle room, laundry room, a live-in resident manager and an on-site garage.

It is conveniently located near the newly renovated Washington Square Park, Union Square Park, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, the Farmers Market, and all the fine and interesting boutiques and restaurants that the Village, nearby Soho and Union Square are noted for. It is also close to several major subway lines, as well as the PATH line.

Building description provided by Glenn Connolly