The Sofia

The building you are looking at, The Sofia, began its life in 1930 as a mechanical marvel known as the Kent Automatic Garage. Designed by the firm Jardine, Hill and Murdock, it featured an innovative system where cars were whisked up by automated elevators to be stored in one of a thousand spots, an extreme luxury for an era when the automobile was just beginning to reshape city life. This building stands out as the only large Art Deco parking garage ever constructed in New York City. While the automated machinery was removed long ago, the structure still bears the hallmark style of that period, including elaborate polychrome terracotta decorations around the entrance that were originally designed to impress motorists pulling in from the street. The building transitioned through several lives before becoming the residential condominium it is today. In the mid-nineteenth century, it was known as the Sofia Brothers Warehouse, a storage facility that claimed the title of the world's tallest storage warehouse after the garage equipment was stripped away. During that time, the lower levels were used for everything from corporate offices to high-end art and furniture auctions. When the building was converted into residences in the 1980s, the design team retained the industrial spirit of the original shell. You can still see a rare, two-way semi-circular driveway out front, which was once a functional necessity for the heavy flow of cars entering the garage but now serves as a private, landscaped arrival point for residents.