542 West 110th Street

This International Style building, an architectural gem nestled at the intersection of Manhattan’s Morningside Heights and Upper West Side neighborhoods, is ideal for multiple configurations and uses, and will be of interest to users, developers and community facility headquarters. Designed and built in 1988 by the noted firm Smith & Thompson Architects, the steel and concrete, all-electric, building contains three apartments. Apartment 1 is a duplex, now divided between a 1st floor 2-bedroom with exclusive access to the finished garden, and a basement floor, built to the rear property line, currently occupied by the current owner's gallery. The two upper floors are light-filled floor-throughs, each with two or three bedrooms and two full baths. All apartments have pass-through kitchens that include laundry facilities. The building could be converted to a single-family residence with expanded living areas on the upper floors or kept as is, with income-producing apartments above an owner's duplex, or converted to a two-family home by combining the second and third floors, which would have exclusive access to a rooftop terrace. The original architects noted that there is an existing defined space for an elevator, and the concrete and steel structure allows for an additional 2 floors on the as-built foundation. Alternatively, the FAR allows a new residential building of 13 stories with penthouse could replace the existing building. The neighborhoods that are home to 542 Cathedral Parkway afford access to an almost endless variety of attractive cultural, educational and recreational amenities. The area’s mixture of low-rise apartment buildings, preserved row houses, and educational institutions of multiple architectural styles, creates an atmosphere of serenity and respite from the bustle of midtown Manhattan. Nearby internationally famous Riverside, Morningside and Central Parks serve to enhance the atmosphere, affording a variety of recreational opportunities: tennis courts, ball fields, bicycle paths, walkways, free kayaking, and in the winter, ice skating. The area’s world-renowned educational institutions include Columbia University, with its undergraduate Barnard College, Schools of Law and Architecture, Columbia Teachers’ College and the Columbia School of Social Work; Union Theological Seminary; and Jewish Theological Seminary. Two nearby landmarks, Riverside Church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in addition to being historic religious institutions, offer numerous cultural and community programs throughout the year. The IRT 1 train is steps from the building, and the IND’s B and C trains are within a 10-minute walk, making the many superior public and private schools for K-12 students on the Upper West Side convenient. The area is also served by multiple cross-town and downtown bus lines, enabling easy access to Manhattan’s East Side, Midtown and below.