West 10th Street

Castrads supplies two new ornate radiators to an 1842 duplex apartment in Greenwich Village, Manhattan

A hotbed of jazz, folk, literature and protest, 1960s Greenwich Village was at the centre of the counterculture movement. It became an oasis for creatives and activists alike. 

Still bursting with bohemian spirit, real estate platform compass.com says the “colonial brownstones, towering trees and stylish residents” of the West Village lend this neighbourhood the feel of “a real-life New York City movie set.”.

West 10th Street itself has, through the ages, been home to such major writers as Mark Twain and Kahil Gilbran, and more recently to screen stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts.

A mixture of Greek Revival and Italianate townhouses, a ‘Streetscape’ in the The New York Times notes that, “the block is known for its extensive, purely volunteer planting efforts, including the huge vine that rises to the roof of 27 West 10th Street”, with a neighbouring front yard, “taken over…with an assortment of flowers so dense and wild it looks like a seed truck turned over.” 

Ample heat and decorative charm

This duplex apartment in an 1842 brownstone building has a beautiful Arts and Crafts interior, but the one-pipe steam heat system, a later addition to the property, was letting the side down. Our client told us:

“When I moved in thirty five years ago, each room had a huge unsightly radiator. I promptly removed them all!

My goal was to replace them with something more aesthetically pleasing. Little did I know that attractive radiators generating good heat did not exist in Manhattan. 

I searched the internet and asked friends for recommendations, all to no avail. So, for years I lived with just the risers and handed out shawls to my dinner guests!”

At-home consultation

We truly admire our client’s refusal to compromise on aesthetics in her home. Luckily, she did not give up the search entirely and contacted us to arrange an at-home consultation.

“Two years ago, I decided that heat would be a nice thing to have in the winter so I did another online search and found Castrads. Jayson came for a consultation about what sizes I needed and helped select the colours and styles.”

Together, our client and Jayson Branch, who runs Castrads’ Midtown showroom, decided Rococo III would be a great fit for the space, providing ample heat and decorative charm.

Bespoke sizing and finish

They agreed to remedy the badly positioned pipework in the master bedroom, bringing the feeds closer to the wall, and to correctly size the radiator to sit neatly below the window.

In the living room, our client had installed a radiator purchased from a competitor which leaked after just a few years. We were able to replace this with a Rococo III 970mm, which, like all of our cast iron radiators, is covered by our 25-year Ironshield Warranty.

Happily we were also able to put our client in touch with Augusto at S&A Piping and Heating Corp, one of our recommended plumbers, who took care of repositioning the pipes and even refitted the parquet flooring to conceal the work.

After throwing a party with friends to choose the best finish, our client decided on Natural Brass for the living room, and Etch-Coated Polish for the bedroom.  

“Four weeks later beautiful, functional radiators were installed and my guests no longer need shawls!”

Why not browse our colour sample boxes and perhaps throw your own colour choosing soiree!