Symphony House

As a guest of a tenant of Symphony House, this apartment building on 56^th Street between 8^th Avenue and Broadway is about as good as it gets if you enjoy living in the middle of Manhattan.
I can’t speak to the mechanics of the building, nor the friendliness of the doormen, but to be able to just step in off the street after a walk through Hell’s Kitchen (great neighborhood), or from Times Square after picking up theater tickets for that evening, and elevate up twenty-​two floors to a spacious apartment, is a fantastic experience. Standing on the small balcony and watching the City pass below, with the Hudson River and Jersey to the right, and B’way and the East Side extending to the left, it is very easy to imagine coming home to this every day!
I was raised up in Washington Heights, but our 6 story tenement was nothing like this. I wondered if my hosts knew how good they had it, but they did not need to share my road to appreciate that they were in a great place now. My fire escape balcony was a child’s dream launch pad. They were living their own midtown reverie. We would both have great stories to tell our grandchildren.
Given an opportunity to live again in the City, Symphony House would be a perfect address.

All you need to know: Great location. Quiet building. Big apartments.
I lived here for six months and really enjoyed the experience. The Symphony House is a quiet building with good sound insulation, fast elevators, nice doormen (mostly), a beautiful rooftop deck and pool, good views, and a fabulous location.
Being steps away from Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center, Central Park, Letterman, Times Square, the Theaters, and the restaurants on 9^th ave (and midtown in general) is great. Like really great. Also being a few blocks from the A-​C-​E, 1−2−3, B-​D, and N-​Q-​R trains is fabulous. A few blocks east and you are on 5^th or Madison Ave. A few blocks North and you are in Central Park or Lincoln Center. A few blocks south and you’re in the Theatre district. The Symphony House has location nailed.
Our apartment was on the 8^th avenue side directly across from the Hearst building. It had really nice views of Hell’s Kirchen. The Hudson, and New Jersey (we were on the 25^th floor). Apartments on the 56^th or 7^th side might not have such great views. The exception is the apartments above the 35^th floor on the back of the building which overlook Central Park. The views from the roof deck are incredible! Apartments on these higher floors do carry a $ 500-​$ 700 rent premium but its hard to argue against paying the extra when you see the view.
The pool and exercise room cost extra but are nice and almost never busy. In fact, more often than not the pool is empty.
The apartments are big. By NY standards, really big. The master bedroom was huge, and there were closets everywhere. The kitchen is so-​so, but having a gas stove is nice. The apartments have no washer/​dryer but there is a laundry room on each floor.
Maintenance staff was pretty good for some things, but not everything. In fact, they seem to be very quick to fix small stuff, and very slow to address bigger issues. The intercom phone in our apartment was broken when we moved in, and it was still broken when moved out. The microwave door would close only if slammed by the hand of God, yet we were told to use it until it completely broke. Other items like sink drains were fixed in less than an hour after calling.
One small touch is that 56^th between Broadway and 8^th — the front of the building — feels more like the Village or Hell’s Kitchen than busy midtown. its an interesting tiny oasis of a calmer NY. It never failed to make me smile as I turned onto that short block.
Why not 5 stars? It’s right on 8^th avenue and the busy fire trucks and police cars drive by often. The windows don’t match a more modern building, and the heaters/​air conditioners are fussy and loud. Rent-​wise, you can find more modern buildings for the same rent, or larger apartments for the same rent. Maintenance was friendly but didn’t fix much.
Still, I enjoyed living here and would recommend the Symphony House. The location, big and quiet apartments, and views count for a lot.

Well I lived here in 2 apartments for a year. I thought the doormen/​concierge were great, the elevators were relatively quick, and the views divine. You do have to do your laundry in the 1 of 2 machines in the hall on every floor, but it is nearby so many good things, and the roof has a gorgeous view of the park. The exercise area/​pool is an extra fee every month, but if you choose to pay, it is never very crowded. Location, location, location — it is the tops. (When I lived there, P-​Diddy (as he was known then) lived across the street). Thumbs up!

Hmmm, I don’t actually live here but I am very close to people who do…
I have to say, how the building looks on the outside doesn’t do the inside of the apartments justice. Huge rooms, not just by New York standards, but any standard. There are plenty of elevators, friendly doormen, nice fitness center… consider me seduced. I always figured my fantasy NY life would put me somewhere like the Upper West Side or Grammercy. This building and fan-​friendly location had me re-​evaluating Midtown.
Now, if only someone would offer me the high six figures so I can join my friends as their newest neighbor!