Hiding in Plain Sight
A strategy to unearth a buried treasure: it was time to reintroduce New York to one of its greatest architects, Ralph Walker, whose landmark towers of the 20’s and 30’s, all in a distinctive film noir take on the Art Deco style, are hiding in plain sight across the city. For a Chelsea residential conversion we dubbed Walker Tower, an expertly-curated public architecture exhibit during construction let the building's original designer, and its recent development, meet the neighbors. A Walker revival has resulted, Architect of the Century, a monograph from Rizzoli, and Treasures of New York: Ralph Walker a documentary from PBS. The building is now breaking price-per-square-foot barriers for its type and setting.
Walker Tower sets Downtown Record of $55 Million
The top-floor penthouse at Manhattan’s Walker Tower found a buyer that agreed to pay close to its $55 million price tag, setting a record for the most expensive residential purchase south of 34th Street.
It was listed for sale on Sept. 25. Upon completion, the deal would become the most expensive ever downtown, topping a record set in August with the $42 million purchase of a penthouse at Zeckendorf Development Co.’s 18 Gramercy Park.
WALKER TOWER 212 West 18th Street, NYC
WalkerTower.com
DEVELOPER JDS Development & Property Markets Group
ORIGINAL ARCHITECT Ralph Walker
RENOVATION ARCHITECT Cetra Ruddy