299 West 12th Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 299 West 12th Street |
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On Abingdon Square Park
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| General information | |
| Type | Condominium apartment |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | Abingdon Square Park, Greenwich Village |
| Town or city | 299 West 12th Street, New York, New York 10014 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°44′15.57″N 74°0′18.85″W / 40.7376583°N 74.0052361°W |
| Current tenants | 183 apartments |
| Construction started | 1929 |
| Inaugurated | July 30, 1931 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 18 including two penthouse floors |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Emery Roth |
| Developer | Bing & Bing |
299 West 12th Street is a tall apartment building in New York City. It faces Abingdon Square Park in an area called Greenwich Village. This building was created by two brothers, Bing & Bing, who were developers. A famous architect named Emery Roth designed it. He also designed other well-known buildings like The Beresford.
The building officially opened on July 30, 1931. It started as an "apartment hotel," which means it had apartments but also hotel-like services. In 1986, 299 West 12th Street and a nearby building, 302 West 12th Street, became condominiums. A condominium is an apartment that you own, rather than rent. This building has 183 condominium apartments, mostly small ones.
Building the Apartments
299 West 12th Street was one of five buildings built at the same time in this area. The Bing & Bing developers also worked with Emery Roth to design 59 West 12th Street. They worked with other architects for their other buildings, like 302 West 12th Street and 45 Christopher Street.
Before these new buildings were built, the area had many five-story row houses. These were older, connected homes made of red brick with fancy iron railings. A newspaper article from that time said these houses were well-kept and home to many important people.
When the old houses were torn down to build the new 16-story apartment buildings, some local people were upset. They felt it changed the neighborhood's character and who lived there. This was an early example of what is called gentrification. Gentrification happens when an older, often more affordable, neighborhood changes, and new, more expensive buildings or businesses move in, sometimes changing the people who live there. Since 1969, the Greenwich Village Historic District has helped protect the area from too many new, large developments.
A New Vision for the Neighborhood
On April 1, 1929, Leo Bing, one of the developers, announced a big plan. His company had quietly bought 75 small pieces of land and old buildings around Abingdon Square Park. He planned to combine these lots to build several large, 17-story apartment buildings.
Bing wanted to "recreate the entire district" to be a modern, high-class residential area, like it used to be. He believed it would soon be as popular as areas like Central Park West. He said building all the new properties at once would help transform the area quickly.
He also pointed out that new transportation options were making the area more popular. These included the new subway line (the IND Eighth Avenue Line), the recently finished West Side Elevated Highway, and even the Holland Tunnel. All these made it easier to get to and from the area, increasing demand for homes there.
Even though the Great Depression started just a few months after Leo Bing's announcement, his buildings were very popular. By September 1931, Bing & Bing reported that their "five new buildings... are proving among the most popular." Many people were interested, and a large number of apartments were rented quickly.
Apartment Prices Today
In recent years, apartments in 299 West 12th Street have been more expensive than others in the area. This is partly because there are rules that limit new construction in the West Village. This means there aren't many new condominium options available.
In 2006, the penthouse apartment in the building was listed for $3.5 million, which was considered a very high price at the time. In 2011, actress Jennifer Aniston bought the penthouse and another apartment below it for $7.9 million. She planned to combine them into a two-story apartment. However, she changed her mind in 2012 and sold the units to another owner in the building. These apartments were later combined into a three-story home, which was listed for $30 million in 2012.
See also
In Spanish: 299 West 12th Street para niños
