211 East 13th St. - “Northwest East Village” New Condo Development

Selling briskly since sales began in April, the location of this new 82-unit condo development, the Jefferson, at 211 East 13th St. (3rd Ave) has been dubbed “Northwest East Village” by the project’s developers, Ironstate Development Company, SK Development & CB Developers, as per this NYT article.  

The new neighborhood’s borders are East 11th to East 14th Street, from Avenue A to Third Avenue, whereas the generally accepted boundaries of the East Village are East 14th, East Houston, Third Avenue and Avenue D.

The Jefferson is named after the vaudville theater that used to stand on the site, and the theater’s mosaic tile floor was saved during the demolition in 2000, and may be incorporated into the design.  The building will have a mix of studios to three-bedrooms, ranging from 550 to 1,650 sq ft, and apartments start at a low $1,600/sq ft. (which explains why 56 of the 82 units are already in contract).

The units will have oak floors, 9 ft ceilings and electric blinds similar to the Urban Glass House, 330 Spring St., Soho, built by SK, CB & Matrix Development.

Unique feature of The Jefferson:  Private cabanas on the rooftop garden available for purchase.

[via NYT]

778 Park Avenue: A 10-room simplex for $29M

In a pre-war building at 778 Park Avenue, designed by Rosario Candela, the 4,500 sq ft 15th floor apartment, consisting of 10 rooms with 11’ ceilings and decorated in the neo-Classical style by David Easton, sold via for private sale (“whisper listing”), for $29M, as detailed in this NYT article.

On the mahogany doors, classic P. E. Guerin hardware, of course.

In the same building, 16th floor, was the late Brooke Astor’s apartment.

[via NYT]

Coco Chanel’s Paris Apartment

Article and additional photos here.

[via NPR.org]

Park Avenue Tulips (& Taxis)

Peter Van de Wetering, the son of a Dutch gardener, and his son, Anton, commissioned by the Fund for Park Avenue, are the folks who bring us the beautiful, seasonal offerings along Park Avenue: tulips and cherry trees in spring; begonias in summer; hawthorn trees w/red buds in autumn; and lighted fir trees in winter (as well as the installation of public art - this year, works by Cuban sculptor Alexandre Arrechea, titled “No Limits” — see the works via this Time Out NY slideshow).

The color of the tulips is not a random choice:  The year, a brilliant red is used, to tie in with the Broadway musical “Annie.”  An annual tulip party is sponsored by the home decor shop Scully & Scully — and this year, guests wore color-coordinated outfits in shades of red to match the tulips.

As is the tradition in the neighborhood, when all the petals have fallen off the tulips, residents may dig up the bulbs!  And they usually transplant them to the gardens of their homes in the Hamptons.

[via NYT & Time Out NY]

The Sterling Mason, 71 Laight, Tribeca

Taconic Investment Partners’ project, The Sterling Mason, an aluminium-skin building designed by Morris Adjmi Architects (designers of the refurbishment at 36 Bleecker), at 71 Laight, Tribeca, is currently under construction, and will be combined with a mirror-image masonry loft, circa 1906.  A total of 33 units will be offered, consisting of large 2- to 5-bedroom residences, and ranging in price from $3.9M - $16M, including 3 penthouses, according to this NYT article.  

Features:  3 units per floor; storage; gym; library; children’s playroom; 12 parking spaces.

[via NYT]

107 W 57th (next to Steinway & Sons) - Another Skinny Tower w/CP Views

JDS Development and Property Markets Group (partnering w/Starwood Capital) has purchased the landmarked Steinway building & its 45,000 sq ft of air rights, adjacent to the site of their planned Cetra Ruddy-designed skinny tower, at 107 W 57th St., in order to add another 200 feet to the tower, which will likely be a hotel at the bottom and residential condos above, with unobstructed view of Central Park, as per this TRD article.

[via TRD]

Sliver Tower Coming to 60th & Park

The Zeckendorfs will be building a luxury high-rise designed by Robert A.M. Stern, on 60th & Park - 30 apartments, 51 stories, upwards of $8K/sq ft.  Start saving - it will be worth the wait.  The details on the high cost of purchasing the air rights from Christ Church and the Grolier Club (a package deal worth $40M) are in this NYT article.

[via NYT]

“They were in the market for a pied-a-closet.”

According to an NYT article on the consumer’s demand for extra closet space in NYC apartments, there are psychological aspects behind this drive:

“If the desire for square footage is insatiable in New York, so is the quest for an uber-organized life, and closets are increasingly being recognized as a factor in the mysterious real estate equation. Sure, it’s about having a place to put your stuff. But closets can also represent something deeper.

Closets, said Jennifer Baumgartner, a clinical psychologist and the author of “You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You,” can be repositories for memories and aspirations. “Hobbies you’ve wanted to pursue and the outfits that go along with them,” she said. “Kind of like a timeline of a life.”

Clothing, Dr. Baumgartner added, is “the internal bubbling to the surface — we choose how we want to look to the world, we choose how we package ourselves. The closet is a container for that.”

The full NYT article is here.

[via NYT]

Hamburger Factor: “People Live in NY because they want choices —”

… “nobody likes to be tied down to one thing.”  The quote is from an article titled, “Is this really NY’s best burger,” in the New York Post.  For the full article, click here.

Among the burger hot-spots named:  

Korzo Haus, East Village

JG Melon, Upper East Side

Minetta Tavern, West Village.

[via NY Post]

244 Mulberry, Nolita: Seven New Condos Via Flank

On the site of what is now a three-story parking garage, at 244 Mulberry, between Spring and Prince Streets, the architectural & development firm Flank is designing a boutique condo building which will feature seven residences, with private parking for each, as per this RD article.

Gump:  It’s practically next door to my favorite restaurant, Torisi, at 250 Mulberry!

[via RD]