The Atelier Condo

unsafe elevators and unprofessional staff. Stuck in elevator for over an hour today. Elevator’s communication system not working… after ringing the bell for over 15 mins, staff finally arrived. They said they would call fire department but they did not. They told me this twice, they LIED. STAY AWAY FROM THIS BUILDING UNLESS YOU LIKE GETTING STUCK IN ELEVATORS! Manager was totally unfazed, doesn’t sound like this is a rare occurrence.

Rented a unit here for 2 years. I have experienced better service in other condominiums. Management runs on a delay, sometimes the doorman opens doors other times he prefers to chit chat in the lobby. I used to live in Chicago and my doorman would always catch residents a cab, assist with groceries, open doors, etc. But here that is not the case. The valet services have on occasion messed up my laundry (couldn’t even get an apology out of them). The building turned an apartment into a new gym. It’s not as nice as the old gym, but it’s free, so that’s nice. So service-​wise the building could do better. I’d give it 2.5 stars.
The staff do a great job of keeping the place clean. The super is really friendly, and always comes whenever you need him. The units are well built, and very well maintained. The quality of the apartments is great. The noise between neighbors is practically nonexistent.

Loving my apartment more and more.
I moved in five years ago and though I’ve gone through times where I wished I was closer to a subway, I now couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
The doormen and concierge are genuinely nice and always cheerful and happy to help with anything. They make this place really feel like home.
The amenities from gym, valet, dry cleaning, packages (even fridge for when your groceries come and you’re not home), awe-​dropping sky lounge and tennis court make this place feel quite posh. The art is updated every other month and there are always huge fresh flowers or seasonal arrangements in the huge modern lobby.
Being so far West is actually a great thing. Why?
1) You are right next to the Hudson River Park. Less than 200 steps away is a great casual outdoor spot where you can get burgers and watch kids play in a cool water installment they seem to love.
2) You can ride your bike, walk or run on the path that goes all the way down the West Side. It’s one long stretch of beautiful piers with wifi, happy people and summer events.
3) The neighborhood keeps getting better but the prices are still holding steady. The new Citi Bikes are right on the corner of 42^nd and 11^th. There are a couple new great restaurants nearby and a nail salon right across the street where the (clean, nice) playground is. There is a new grocery store just opening this week on the same corner. New construction next door is likely to bring even more.
4) If you drive you can easily hop on the West Side Highway and get downtown quickly or hop on the highway towards Jersey or CT.
5) Because of the great doormen and abundance of high-​rise buildings in the area, you can almost always get a cab right outside your apartment. Trust me, this is a great perk in the winter!
6) The people who live in the building, and the neighborhood, are nice professional people. The Espace location next door seems to bring a lot of gala events to the area and overall I feel like I am living somewhere rather swanky yet friendly.
7) Freebies: Free across town bus in the morning, Free pastries & bagels in the morning.
This review is definitely biased since I live there but I just thought I’d throw in my two cents as it’s a great building for anyone considering to buy or rent and not sure about the far West location.

I now live here in the Atelier Condo since ⁰⁵⁄₂₀₁₂ (southeast corner). Coming from Germany I cannot really say whats «awesome» and whats just «okay» but the Atelier Condo is a very modern building which was just built in 2007 with a lot of amenities.
We saw over two dozens of apartments and I have to say that just a few apartments were as modern as the Atelier where we live now. Most others had really old gym equipment, very small rooftops and weren’t that well maintained over the time.
AMENITIES
The list of amenities is long! The house two rooftops — one on the lower rooftop (3^rd floor) are two BBQ grills, a boccie field and a outdoor playground for kids and a convertible tennis /​basketball court. On the upper rooftop (46^th floor) you have free wifi and a billiard table as well as a modern gas fireplace and several chairs and couch’s. Outdoor you have two recreation areas with beach chairs and tables to lay in the sun. There is also a modern gym which was just modernized in 2013, a business meeting room with fax/​printer/​etc., a playroom for children, a yoga/​fitness room, a cinema room and a swimming pool. On the 1^st floor/​lobby there is a a valet which stores your incoming post boxes and offers clean & repair service (cleaning shirts, repairing trousers, etc.).
APARTMENTS
The apartments itself are very modern including a modern state of the art kitchen from Bosch with dish washer, fridge with ice maker, oven microwave and everything you need. The apartment also has its own washer and dryer. So you do not need to go for a walk through the house to wash your stuff on the floor or the wash room — what is really comfortable. For installations as well as simple repairs we have a helpful and pleasant team of handymen. They fix and/​or repair everything i.e. the waste disposer, bulbs among other things. The bath rooms are very comfortable. The toilet lids are going down smooth (so not the cheaper ones). The shower head itself offer three modes of water supplying (including a massage option) and is offering a huge mirror with mirror lights and a wall closet (for perfumes, medicine, among others).
SUBWAY & BUS
The high rise itself is well-​tended and — due to the fact being on the 42^nd — you can reach nearly everything in minutes. The mta bus ‘m42’ (crosstown) has its start/​end station at the Cruising Line at 42^nd&12^th. From this depot also the mta bus ‘m50’ starts/​stops which (as the name says) goes up to the 50^th street going crosstown and ends at 49^th&1^st. The Port Authority is on 42^nd btw. 8^th&9^th where you can catch nearly every bus line you need. Also the Pen Station is not far away and just one stop away from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
NOISE /​TRAFFIC
Living on 42^nd&11^th you have the advantage not to live in the middle of midtown where its just loud and the air is dirty and you are smelling the exhaust gas pollution. So you can easily open windows in summer (and if you like also in winter) to get some fresh and clean air. Even living on 42&12^nd Avenue you don’t hear any noise from the 12^th Avenue (which becomes the Joe DiMagio Highway on 57^th&12Ave).
SHOPPING FACILITIES
In ¹²⁄₂₀₁₂ a «7up» (small shop i.e. a Deli) opened at the corner of 42^nd&11^th. In the «Silver towers» on 42^nd btw 11^th&12^th there is also small Deli. Another very large and newly opened Deli is on 42^nd&11^th which offers everything you need including fresh sushi, bread among other things. You also find a tailor on 42^nd btw. 11^th&12^th as well as a good Pizzeria on 42^nd btw 11^th&12^th next to our building. The next CVS is on 42^nd&10^th, the ‘Food Emporium’ on 42^nd&10^th and a Duaneread on 42^nd&8^th, the next Starbucks is on 43^rd&9^th. So you find everything nearby. UPS also has a customer store on 43^rd&11^th as well as FedEx on 42^nd&11^th. USPS offers free package pickup at our building.

[UPDATE 5/​16/​2015]
I created my first review here in 2010 and it was glowing. Here’s an updated review.
I have lived in NYC for 20 years, and this is the best place I’ve lived in.
The Atelier is a condo. The quality of life is great. I feel like I’m at a resort daily.
LOBBY
It looks like an art gallery. You see people peering in as they walk by, so it’s pretty cool to walk in. A doorman rotates the revolving glass door for you. A concierge tends to your needs. The waiting area is luxurious. You need an electric key to get into the elevator area! There are times when one person must tend both the door and desk, so don’t expect ²⁴⁄₇ service on both. But when they are available, it’s fantastic. The doorman will also hail a cab for you when possible. Tip him :)
VALET
My other building (New Gotham on 43^rd), the concierge also handled packages. At the Atelier, there’s a full service for this. When you get a package, you receive an email. If it’s heavy, they’ll bring it to you free of charge/​tips. If the valet is closed, the concierge will get it for you.
GYM
There is a war between the gym owner and the building’s management. It has escalated to where the real gym which used to be nice with a pool, locker room, classes, space, etc. is now non-​functional. The Atelier stuffed one of their condos with sub-​par equipment although the ellipticals are nice. I joined a commercial gym but would rather not have to.
BREAKFAST AND THE SHUTTLE
Continental breakfast has been upgraded. They have a new provider and it’s now timely.
The shuttles recently have been more like limousines — very nice. Timing-​wise, if you get a later one when traffic’s heavier, expect delays.
NEW BUS
There’s a bus across the street (M42), another on 42^nd and 11^th (M11) and better yet a NEW bus on 43^rd and 12^th Ave. It’s the M12 and the one going to Columbus Ave. in the morning rarely has anyone on it. It sometimes travels from 43^rd St. to the last stop without any other pickups! Awesome.
SKY LOUNGE
Newly renovated. I love the outdoor space although the Top of the Rock view is partially by the new building next door. Smokers ruin this area for me. They need to replace the pool table.
KIDS
There’s a beautiful indoor playroom for kids and an outdoor playground.
PETS/​FUR BABIES
There’s a new dog park with a pool for your four-​legged children. If you hate dogs, what’s wrong with you?
LOWER OUTDOOR DECK
The lower outdoor deck is nice and less congested than the sky lounge. It’s great for BBQs and tennis. There’s a playground but I never see kids there.
QUALITY OF LIFE
More stores have emerged since I moved here in 2010. Unfortunately one is 7Eleven where a nice Starbucks used to be. I say unfortunately because this store sells cheap junk and caters to non-​residents who leave their trash on the sidewalk and chill on the steps. There’s a new overpriced deli/​bodega across the street. Food Emporium is nearby and newly renovated.
The construction next door is an eye sore, but moving along quickly.
MY PLACE
I have a corner unit with a terrace that wraps around. The corner units are THE units you want. They have floor to ceiling windows with in-​window seating. So fantastic — seriously. The glass gets extremely dirty. You get a free annual cleaning, but they cleaned everything except my terrace glass so I tried cleaning it myself but can’t reach over and don’t want to fall over trying.
The windows are double-​sealed. I hear less outdoor noise on a lower floor at the Atelier than I did on my 31^st floor apartment around the corner at the New Gotham.
Having a terrace on a low floor means having a net for all falling things, including cigarettes, flying debris, underwear (yes that happened, LOL), hangers and confused birds. But the staff is helpful.
OVERALL
The sidewalk in front of the building that’s under construction is a mess. Yet this is where all of the tourists from the cruise ships walk on there way into the city. There have been some repairs to that sidewalk to avoid flooding. Once construction is done (in 2016), this will be a nicer area.
There are newer buildings like the Silver Towers, but remember that The Atelier is a condo building. Luxury apartment buildings have nicer shared amenities but lower quality living quarters. They also have the lotto housing tenants — not at the Atelier.
I’ve added a star because to the Atelier’s credit, they make an effort to keep the building up, adding new amenities like the MOVIE THEATER and potential ICE SKATING RINK. They also have fun activities, update residents regularly and try to make things great for everyone. Management is very responsive and kind.
That said, after a long day, I enjoy coming home to what at times feels like a luxury resort, sitting on the roof or playing a game of pool. The staff is friendly and I can’t afford to move so I hope it stays nice.