What are the best buildings on West End?

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/building/325-west-end-avenue-new_york

Anyone who I ever knew that lived here loved it. Great for entertaining and better if you're a guest. I don't think I ever saw a small unit there.

Quite a few - I can't speak to building finances or from an insider's perspective on service, but:

290, 320, 325, 333, 473, 490, 610, 685 - below 96th.

Some lobbies are a little dumpy. Apartment quality varies greatly, depending on the timing of the last reno, so I'm not sure what you're asking for here.

I also like 270 & 277 (the former has 5, 7, and 10-room, the latter 5, 7, 8). 300 WEA is nice but has 10 (?) or 12 (?) room apts and the cutups are usually not the best layouts.

I'm a big fan of 246 (turn of century so 10'+ ceiling hts) but the original plans were 12-room and 14-room and the cutups aren't ideal.

300 west end originally had 24 ten room apartments; each apartment took up half the floor, with a private elevator landing. At some point two of th apartments were broken up, so now there are 22 ten room apartments and five smaller apartments. It is true that the few smaller apartments are unideal. But the large family apartments that make up the vast bulk of the building are exceptionally fine--really the finest prewar apartments on west end.

I stand corrected - doh, and to think I coulda been Fey's neighbor AND taken advantage of the 2 million delta in asking prices of '09. Fine building.

Lots more questions about what you mean by best beyond the criteria you mentioned. Best value per foot? Best views? Best amenities? Best floorplans for conversion to 3BR? Best location? Look at 10 buildings on WEA and you will often get 10 descriptions by owners/brokers indicating their's is a top WEA building. And many actually believe it...

Go see some apartments and after a month or two you will will have a good idea of what is best for you.

Doug Perlson
RealDirect

Basically, what 10023 said, with Happyrenter's important addition of the wonderful 300 WEA.

490 has a very handsome lobby, but the floorplans aren't as good as some nearby buildings, IMO. BTW, I like the front-facing apartments at 470 WEA. Would think twice before touching the back half of 470, because I don't think there's anything preventing development on the Broadway side of that block.

For Art Deco enthusiasts, 411 and 565 have some excellent apartments with views.

The Apthorp will be great someday. Can you wait twenty years for the dust to settle?

At the north end of West End, 875 is an excellent building. 771, 789, 885 and 895 all merit consideration. 924 has grandeur and some excellent apartments.

As douglasternyc says, it really depends on your tastes, needs and priorities.

6-room + apts are rare (do they exist?) at 411 & 565. 411 is the nicer of the two, but the eastern views are not protected. 565 has some very gracious floorplans and the western, northern, southern views are protected as they are over landmarked THs. The common areas are depressing.

How about 450 West End?

"Best" is in the eye of the beholder. There are many great buildings along WEA with family sized apartments. Classic 6 and 7 are very common. It really depends alot on location. The 70s, 80s, 90s and 100s are all quite different neighborhoods. Each stretch has terrific options. As you head north, prices tend to drop. It also depends on taste. The Edwardian Era buildings, those built pre 1920, have higher ceilings and more elaborate detail, those post 1920 have better layouts (in general). So it is up to the specific buyer what he or she will think is best. My personal favorites are 450 WEA and 580 WEA both Emery Roth. 320 WEA and 607 WEA are both by Rosario Candela and have great Classic 8 layouts. 290 WEA is also great, designed by Schwartz and Gross, and 610 WEA designed by George and Edward Blum has some enormous duplex apartments.