askLaLa » manhattan luxury apartments

385 West 12th Street

Danie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:12:04 +0000

Location: 385 West 12th Street btwn Washington/West Streets
Floors: 7
Units: 12
Floor Plans: 3-4 Bedrooms/Town Homes/Flats/Penthouse
Prices: $5.795M to $17M
Architect: FLAnk
Developer: FLAnk
Sales & Marketing: Brown Harris Stevens
Marketing Tel: 212.906.9200
Website Url: www.385west12th.com

FLAnk’s 12 unit condominium is an architectural masterpiece. What makes this condo so unique is that the roof is split into two tiers. The top tier has a 50 foot lap pool, a hot tub/spa, a rooftop shower and a meditation deck below. An entertaining area is located on the lower tier, complete with gas grills. The magnificent rooftop’s views of the Hudson River will sweep you off your feet. There is an on site resident manager, full-time housekeeper, laundry delivery services and dog walking services are available. Most units at this complex contain 2,500 to 4,300 feet of space and the two duplex penthouses are about 8,300 square feet. In addition to the penthouses, there are four town homes and six flats- and the ceiling heights are 10′ to 18′.

Amenities: Many units have a study, den with fireplace, professional kitchen, wine cellar, laundry room, and a home theatre. Most homes are fitted with a technology package that allows residents to control lighting, shades, climate, and even the home entertainment system. Every residence includes a gas burning fireplace.

Additional amenities and features include elegant walnut flooring; custom designed maple cabinetry and heated flooring are within the master bathroom. There is also a family room in addition to the living room. There is also a doorman, attended lobby, concierge, luxurious roof garden, swimming pool and bike storage. It is said that FLAnk will even have throw residents a cocktail party.

Although it may seem that most residents may never want to leave their homes, there are many shopping, dining and entertainment options available around the complex. In addition, there are several spas and salons nearby for those that would rather get away from the building for a spa treatment.

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Centurion Condominium

Danie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:57:50 +0000

Location: 33 West 56th Street
Floors: 19
Units: 48
Floor Plans: 1 to 4 Bedrooms
Prices: $11,5M
Developer: Stillman Development International
Architect: I.M. Pei
Sales and Marketing: Corcoran
Marketing Tel: (212) 836-1088
Website Url: www.Centurion Condominium.com

The new Centurion Condominium complex is one of the most stunning architectural projects in Manhattan. Designer I.M. Pei’s works include the glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, the Four Seasons Hotel and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “The face of the building should say ‘here I am’, according to Pei. The front exterior of the building says ‘here I am’” with its symmetrical arrangements and setbacks.

As impressive as the building should be to see from the outside, a building should also be impressive inside. There will be a total of 48 residential units in the Centurion with 1 to 4 bedroom units available including 13 terraced homes and 3 penthouses. Teak floors are in the primary rooms of residential units with marble, limestone and porcelain floors in the bathrooms. The ceilings in each of the units will range from 10 to 17 feet. The washer/dryer units and the dishwasher are from Bosch. Units include a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a Wolf stove. At present, the units in the Centurion are selling for around $2,800 per square foot.

Amenities: The entire facad is in Chamesson French limestone. The lobby is crafted in Magny du Louvre French limestone with blonde Anigre wood including rich leather and marble accents. Residents can expect white-glove concierge, a doorman, fitness room and even a liven-in superintendent (fee-based). The fee-based residents assistant is not included in the fixed cost in monthly carrying fees. However, residents can pay a flat fee if they need to have a pet sitter, etc.

For residents looking for something to do outside of the hotel, the Centurion is close to various restaurants, entertainment options, Manhattan historical landmarks, and museums. Central Park is just a short walk from the Centurion. Buyers looking for a condominium with fantastic resale value, this very well may be the one —It’s not too often that one can say they own something designed by I.M. Pei.

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980 Madison Avenue

Danie — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:38:31 +0000

The condominium project for 980 Madison Avenue has been under a lot of scrutiny for quite a while. At first, a modern design was presented that would have consisted of a 22-story addition to the five-story former Parke-Bernet Building. This would have added 18 new condominiums. The Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected the plan and as a result plans are now being made to add floors to the auction house.

The new set of plans will be a complete renovation of the current auction house and will add five stories to the building. This will add five condominiums and about 150,000 square feet of residential space. The addition will also be covered with louvers, which are frames with both horizontal and vertical slats. These are use much like shutters that allow in air and light, but keep out the elements. The louvers would actually even open in sections like shutters.

There are a lot of detractors to the current design that claim that the louvers are not aesthetically pleasing and were out of context with other buildings in the area. The Landmarks Preservation Commission actually liked the renovation aspect for the auction house, but did not like the addition portion of the design. Floorplans for the new condominiums have not been released due to the fact that a design has not been approved. It does appear that some condominiums will have balconies or other outdoor spaces. A rooftop garden is also a feature of the new design. Unfortunately, the new condo units will not have a decent view.

The original design would have allowed for some spectacular views. Resident of the units from the new design will have to settle for a view of the other buildings in the area. It is expected that at some point the two sides will come to some type of agreement in the renovation of the property, but what concessions will be made remains to be seen.

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