First Look At Harlem’s Baldwin Condominiums, Inspired By James Baldwin
In a corner of Harlem hemmed in by a steep ravine within Jackie Robinson Park and the Harlem River, a residential enclave is undergoing a renaissance. Among a string of four recently finished sale buildings, a seven-story, six-unit condominium has begun work at 306 West 148th Street, between Bradhurst Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Conceived by Bottom Line Construction & Development (no comment), the 10,000-square-foot building is to be called The Baldwin after the eminent Harlem-born novelist, poet, playwright and social critic, James Baldwin. Channeling the author’s spirit, the condo will capture in its residences “the sophisticated details and artistic flare of contemporary Harlem living.”
Looking towards Jackie Robinson Park. Construction shots via 6sqft
Alexander Compagno Architecture is listed as the applicants of record on building permits approved last year. The building’s street-facing exterior presents a contextual red-brick facade with rows of multi-pane windows and sliding glass doors leading out onto Juliet balconies. The first level of the building will house the upper level of a duplex apartment and a community facility. Each of the five units above will be full-floor residences, and above it all will be a rooftop terrace.
Only a decade ago, the cluster of blocks where four Manhattan avenues came to their ends plainly showed the residual trademarks of urban decay. A parkside stroll along Bradhurst Avenue would reveal no less than four boarded up buildings, while streetsides stretching east were pockmarked by vacant lots. Today, all the former derelict walk-ups along Jackie Robinson Park have been rehabilitated – with their cornices replaced and stately pre-war facades polished and re-pointed. Between 145th and 149th streets, three new co-op buildings have opened: The Langston, The Sutton, and Ellington on the Park. The three-phase program sponsored by HPD Cornerstone Development provided some of the first new opportunities for home ownership in the area. Their affordable units, which are reserved for a variety of income levels, were ushered in to help stave off the tide of gentrification rolling into the neighborhood.
Residents of the Baldwin will be steps away from a reinvigorated Jackie Robinson Park and its landmark swimming pool conceived by Robert Moses in the 1930s. The terminal station of the 3 train subway station is located one avenue away at 149th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, and the A, B, C, and D lines can also be picked up nearby at West 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.
For future listings at The Baldwin Condominium, visit CityRealty.
