Helena 57 West

Helena 57 West is a rental apartment tower at 601 West 57th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, developed and managed by the Durst Organization. It was one of the first large residential buildings in New York designed to a high environmental standard, with on-site cogeneration and a green roof, and it anchors the northern end of the neighborhood.

The tower stands near the West Side Highway, a block from Hudson River Park and the greenway, with the Riverside South towers to the north and DeWitt Clinton Park to the south. Columbus Circle, Central Park and the A, B, C, D and 1 trains at 59th Street are a walk east.

Completed in 2005 and designed by FXFowle, the 38-story tower holds 597 apartments. Durst built it as a showcase for sustainable residential design, an approach the company carried forward at VIA 57 West, which now shares the block. A portion of the apartments were set aside as income-restricted housing under the city’s 80/20 program.

The northern end of Hell’s Kitchen has changed sharply since Helena opened, when the surrounding blocks were still largely parking lots and auto shops. Today it sits in a cluster of large rental towers, with the Pier 97 park across the highway and the Hudson River Park bikeway running past the door.