21 West Street, Art Deco apartment building in Financial District, Manhattan, United States.
21 West Street is a residential high-rise built in the Art Deco style that rises 33 stories with bold geometric patterns, brick cladding, and terracotta ornaments across its facade. The building features wrapped corner windows that create distinctive angular openings where walls meet, giving the structure a recognizable form from multiple viewpoints.
Construction took place between 1929 and 1931 under the design of architects Starrett & van Vleck, originally serving as an office tower. A major renovation in 1997 transformed it into residential apartments, shifting its purpose and bringing new life to the structure.
The building's name comes directly from its address on West Street. Its conversion into residences made it a sought-after location for people wanting to live close to the Financial District's working core.
The building sits near the corner of Morris Street and Washington Street, making it accessible by multiple transit options in the area. It contains 293 apartments across its floors, and visitors should note that there is no basement level, which affects how the building's street-level entrances are arranged.
The building pioneered the use of wrap-around corner windows in commercial architecture, a technique that had been limited mostly to residential structures before this. This design choice made the building visually distinctive and became an example of how office towers borrowed residential design strategies.
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