The "barn door" apartment at 319 east 50th

Theres a hi-rise going up on 51st and 2nd that might block views/light? Not to mention the construction noise!

The noise will end eventually...but the high rise will stay. I haven't been to the property, though, so I can't assess whether the new tower will block any views or not.

all the all units in the same building have gone through price cuts... definitely something to investigate why before u get serious... (land lease, corrupt board ?)

Oh-My-God this apartment is terrible! I saw it fairly recently after I fell in love with the listing. I could not have been more disappointed.

The layout is just criminal. You don't know what to do with it. The barn door is just a nightmare and it's not even straight against the wall so it doesn't provide a barrier against noise + light from the living room. Just an ugly and pointless contraption!
It gets bad light to begin with but all the light will be gone once construction begins on the lot in front of it. Can you say high rise condo????

I was really hoping this was the place for me to grow into with my hubby and our 2 young daughters, but it just stinks!

Go to the open house if you want. Expect to see the shady broker telling you how much interest there is and how you have to bid NOW! But really all the people at the open house will leave shaking their heads and saying everything I just said.

Tasha - Thanks for the heads up about this.
Do you have any comments about the building itself - elevators, staff, condition, hallways....
There's a listing for two studios to combine, the top (12th?) floor. The agent doesn't show the floor plan, so I don't know if a barn door motif can be avoided on this one. I tend to be a glutton for projects like this. I whine and kvetch about renovating headaches, but really enjoy the process. But if the building itself seems problematic, I'm not motivated.

The building has an elevator man because the elevator is just really old fashioned and it's just not entirely obvious how to operate it. Can you believe that? A complicated elevator? But it's true.
The hallways are just fine - nothing special at all but not in bad condition.
Staff? I dunno.

I also fell in love with this floorplan...them I saw the unit myself...

DISASTER...

Needs a TOTAL gut, another bathroom, 2 renovated bathrooms, a new kitchen, in a new spot...some new walls...

The view are either all brick walls or will blocked by the new condo. It's aweful.