75 Wall St

75 Wall

Luxury condominiums retrofitted into former bank branch skyscrapers in the Financial District are hardly uncommon, but not every one of them is as beloved by residents as 75 Wall. “I loved living in 75 Wall,” says Emma Zamia, resident for three years and communications manager at global renewable energy company, TES. “I enjoyed the building so much I lived in two different units, on the 34th floor, and then on the 37th floor. Each one had a small private terrace.” She says the only reason she moved out was because she relocated to Paris for a new job. Welton Becket Associates designed 75 Wall Street in 1987 as the US headquarters office for the British multinational bank Barclays. Before being converted into luxury condominiums in 2009, the former bank headquarters was also home to two other financial institutions: Dresdner Bank in 1994 and J.P. Morgan Chase in 2005. When the 36-story business building was changed over into condominiums, it represented one part of a large-scale effort to reclaim the district as a residential area. “The repurposing of this building continued the redefinition of the New York City Financial District into a mixed-use area, with residential and hospitality uses adding to the attraction of this historic neighborhood,” SLCE Architects, the architect of record for the conversion, stated in the project statement on their website. The first 18 floors of the building house Hyatt Centric Wall Street New York, a four-star hotel with 253 rooms and suites. Across the top 24 floors of the 42-story tower, there are 356 properties ranging from studios starting at $700,000 to three-bedrooms at $2.9 million to four-bedroom penthouses at around $4.9 million. The interiors were designed in 2009, and their timeless elegance has held up well. Known for their use of neutral colors, rich natural materials and uninterrupted straight lines, Rockwell Group brought a refined, informal interpretation of luxury to the residences at 75 Wall. The contemporary design vocabulary is expressed by open layouts in units optimized for space, wide plank oak flooring, bronze lacquered kitchen cabinetry and bathrooms swathed in Italian Botticino marble. Each residence is outfitted with numerous windows in every room, bringing natural light and city views from multiple vantage points. 75 Wall Street is a full-service luxury condominium with a 24-hour door attendant and a live-in super. “The amenities are incredible: a spacious gym, space to work and chill outside the apartment and a rooftop floor and sundeck that really does have a 360° view of the city,” says Zamia. The top floor is a designated amenities space, featuring a lounge with sumptuous sofas and lounge chairs, floor-to-ceiling windows and a double-sided fireplace that faces the grand outdoor terrace. The sundeck is outfitted with hammocks, barbeque pits, plush lounge seating and picturesque Manhattan skyline views. On floor 18, residents can access a 24-hour fitness center with a dedicated yoga and Pilates studio, cardio and weight machines, free weights and Peloton bikes. On the same level, a club lounge features a theater-sized TV, espresso bar, billiards and plenty of seating. Families can enjoy the children’s playroom, which has a pleasantly unexpected surplus of toys, games and kid-sized furniture. The Financial District is home to one of Manhattan’s densest concentrations of rooftop eateries and post-work cocktail bars. Perched on the 60th floor of One Chase Manhattan Plaza — a former Chase branch that has since been repurposed as various office spaces — Manhatta is a Michelin-starred American fusion eatery known for its “Oysters Manhatta.” On the 64th floor of 70 Pine Street, Overstory feels like a prohibition-era supper club in a historic 1930s skyscraper with lavishly appointed Art Deco furnishings. For a bit of romance and atmosphere, The Bar Room in the Beekman Hotel offers its signature absinthe cocktail amid shimmering, chiaroscuro lighting. For groceries, there’s a City Market just down the block at Pine Street or there’s also Whole Foods on Broadway just a quarter of a mile down the way. For a bit of shopping, residents can walk to the Oculus World Trade Center to find all the shops at Westfield. “The building’s location is great because you are two minutes away from South Street Seaport and 10 minutes from Battery Park,” says Zamia. 75 Wall Street is easy walking distance to Pier 11, which offers a convenient — and to many, life affirming — mode of water-borne transportation to many areas within the city. From the dock at South Street Seaport, residents have access to most of the ferry routes — Astoria, East River, Rockaway, Soundview, South Brooklyn and the Governor’s Island weekend shuttle. Alternatively, residents can access 12 subway lines and the PATH train at Fulton Center.