Hell's Kitchen

The scaffolding that had obscured 400 West 57th Street for years has finally been removed, exposing its ornamental masonry walls and arched windows. Once called the Windermere, the property has had a long and complex history, standing both as an architectural gem for the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen and as a crumbling and almost-abandoned relic. The eight-story structure, which is located at the corner of West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue, suffered decades of neglect, deterioration, and attracted a large number of homeless squatters in the past. The façade was covered up with blue scaffolding and netting, and the building’s fate was unknown for some time after the disappearance of its owners, who reportedly left the country for Japan. The redevelopment was an arduous process, due to political drama and the task of getting the handful of remaining tenants to vacate the structure.