Walter & Samuels finishes $3 million capital improvement plan at 214-224 West 29th Street

Walter & Samuels has completed a $3 million capital improvement program at 214-224 West 29th St., a commercial office building located between Seventh and Eight Aves. in Chelsea. The pre-war building comprises 200,000 s/f of office space across 17 floors and several ground-level storefronts. According to Walter & Samuels chairman David Berley, the property is being repositioned to meet the changing face of the neighborhood and demands among the tech and creative sectors for office space in Chelsea. The transformation includes a complete cleaning of the building's street-side façade, which features intricate masonry details, elegant setbacks and four unique stone gargoyles handling fur pelts. The building was designed by architect Henry Oser and was one of the city's original fur buildings along a corridor that today continues to be dotted with furriers. The building took back ground-floor retail space in order to expand and modernize the lobby. In addition to adding air conditioning and an all-glass entrance with new windows and a revolving door, the lobby was fitted with a new reception desk, stone flooring and recessed ceiling, wall and lighting details. In addition, Berley hand selected a piece of contemporary art by famed Brooklyn artist Dustin Yellin as a feature within the space. The large-scale art piece is from Yellin's collection of 200 ethereal human figures inspired by the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. As a counterpoint to the contemporary art and renovation details, the design team retained some of the building's architectural bones such as a massive marble column and ornamental wall plaques featuring bird figures that were uncovered and restored during the renovation process. Additional improvements include upgraded second-floor windows, common corridors, restrooms and existing passenger cars as well as the addition two state-of-the-art boilers and one new passenger car. Future improvements include new retail storefronts that will be restored to their historic condition, a rooftop entertainment space and a new sidewalk along the building's 150 feet of frontage. "This building is a gem within our portfolio of buildings," said Berley, who purchased the class B office tower in the late 1970s. "Located near the Hudson Yards redevelopment project, the renovations revealed a beautiful relic that will play a critical role in the evolution of the neighborhoods surrounding the Manhattan's far west side."