Wicked cool apt

Cool place. But the wood slats make the ceiling look even lower than it is, not ideal for a floor-thru loft plan.

This is my old stomping ground. The Holland tunnel traffic is relentless.

Those aren't slats, they're joists.

I like the general aesthetic of the apartment but agree with Richard that the joists make the already low-slung ceiling seem even lower. To my untrained eye those joists appear to be faux to create an effect--if they were real they'd most certainly be steel and we'd likely see an exposed beam as well plus they'd likely be found throughout the unit (like the dining area). While I generally love the rustic look of exposed wood joists and beams in cabins and places with high ceilings I'm not loving it here.

Most listings in the building have a closed ceiling. Interestingly an old listing for 6E shows similar joists, while a slightly newer listing for 6E shows a closed ceiling. Wonder if sound insulation is a strong trade-off for the look.

The joists in warehouses were wood, not steel, and it is likely that the ceilings in the other apartments were put in for sound proofing. Warehouses were not built for living - sound traveled between floors

Hmm interesting. And in looking more closely I do notice a center beam in one of the photos... So it looks like they are indeed original. Converting old warehouses can be amazing sometimes and other times... not so much. Here = not so much.

That bracing over the desk is somewhere between:
A) How is that hodgepodge holding up the building and hope no corrosion.
B) Glad all that beefy industrial reinforcement is holding up my light residential.

I suspect the building description is incorrect both in terms of date built and calling it a "cast iron and brick structure." These wood beamed warehouses were typically Antebellum. True "cast iron buildings" supplanted these largely after the War of Northern Aggression until the turn of the 20th Century, and were most notable for their ornate facades (made from cast iron). As a structural building element cast iron isn't great - it doesn't perform well in tension so you wouldn't use it for beams, and it's low melting point makes it dangerous in fires (the reason you always see sprinkler heads around the few lofts with cast iron columns even though there isn't the same requirement for wood beams even though they are flammable).

In fact, if you didn't put a sprinkler head close enough to a cast iron column you had to enclose it in plain old sheetrock. What does it say about a structural element if the protection plan is a layer of sheetrock?

Gypsum is a good fire retardant. Modern-day steel construction is no different -- it still has to be fireproofed, although it's typically done with intumescent paint/epoxy or spray-applied mineral fiber.

I used to live in a 25' wide building that had 3x12 wood joists across the whole span without any center support. The center of the floor was about 2" lower than the edge thanks to long-term deflection, and there were constant issues with loose floor tiles due to the bounciness. Sometimes it's a good thing that they don't build 'em like they used to...

I think the beams are original, and not faux. But the space between them has been dropped and sheetrocked -- note the sprinkler heads that come through the ceiling -- it's unlikely the upstairs neighbor has sprinkler pipes running across their floor -- as well as the recessed lights.

It probably also cuts down quite a bit on inter-floor noise. A nice compromise solution.

I hate that step up between the LR & kitchen/front hall. I imagine lots of problems with tipsy guests (or those just not paying attention). And you won't be using the terrace when that AC unit is running (but it will drown out the tunnel traffic).

It looks like 1870/80 to me.

@stache, OLR says 1890, but I'm with you. If you Google "104 Charlton Street Paper Warehouse" on the first page of results you'll get "Charles D. Morse, et. al Against William T. Morse" which seems to be a court account from 1880 which mentions both the warehouse and the Cotton Exchange (which I guess we know today as 3 Hanover Sq.)

ali r.
upstairs realty

I was interested in an apartment in this building about 2.5 years ago. Unfortunately the building was surrounded by new construction on both sides, rendering the apartments very dark. And yes those ceilings carry a lot of noise. In my current apartment I have similar ceilings (though cement, and 10' high), and I can hear my upstairs neighbor's dog walking.

https://streeteasy.com/building/104-charlton-street-new_york/2w?context%5Bcontroller%5D=%23%3CBuildingController%3A0x000055b0fb2335a0%3E&context%5Bcurrent_user%5D=1040784&hide_if_empty=true&section=sales

Yes, but that one isn’t Wicked Cool. For those who did not click through, $2.1M sale in 2013 to $1.6M ask & fast in-contract in 2021.

Tiny windows and it's still a fishbowl.