Our tipline has been abuzz this morning with rumors that all tenants were evacuated yesterday from rental building 1182 Broadway. We checked with the Department of Buildings—which has one “work without permit” violation posted for the property—to get the full story. And that is? A DOB spokesperson tells us the agency investigated after anonymous complaints and found that the property was illegally converted from a 16-floor manufacturing building into residential apartments. The building had no fire sprinklers, no secondary exit, and only one stairwell, which could trap tenants in the building in the event of a fire, so the DOB slapped owner Mocal Enterprises with violations for converting the building without a permit and for occupancy contrary to DOB regulations. According to DOB, tenants were evacuated with the aid of city agencies and the Red Cross. So who called in the complaint? That’s the big question. The grungy neighborhood (WhoDi to us) has been branded the “next big thing” thanks to a crop of new luxury boutique hotels opening in the area. The hipsterest of them all, the Ace Hotel, is right next door.
We hunted up a few old listings for the building, where rents appear to have ranged from $2,900 to $6,000. According to one description, here’s what that money would have gotten you:
Zoned as a live-work space, this renovated loft offers an industrial vision of New York that is fast disappearing…Featuring free laundry on every floor and bathrooms big enough to fit a mini-Cooper in, these apartments also offer massive closets and giant pewter windows. If you are looking for Zen gardens and tenant lounges then this building is not for you. But if a taste of raw space – think concrete floors in some units and spectacular wrap around antique windows in the two-bedroom units – makes your artistic juices start to flow, then this might do the trick.
And if DOB inspections and evictions make your artistic juices start to flow, then you’re really in luck!
UPDATE: We just received this statement from building administrator Dana Haddad: “As an accommodation, we will be providing alternate housing to each of our 54 tenants and their families in the upcoming two days as we work around the clock with the Department of Buildings and our tenants to resolve this unfortunate situation.”
· Description: 1182 Broadway [TREGNY]
Are there enough renters in this world to fill the booming supply of high-rises opening in neighborhoods like Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene and the Far West Side? There’d better be, or this golden era of blinged-out buildings is going to end on a downer! Say hello to 505 West 37th Street—er, make that 505W37—twin towers designed by Handel Architects that are pumping 835 new apartments (studios, 1BRs and 2BRs) into the Far West Side/Hudson Yards area that recently added fellow behemoths Ohm, Silver Towers and, oh yeah, this project’s sister building across the street. (Reps for developer TF Cornerstone say that one is now 100% leased.) It’s been a year since we checked in on construction at 505W37, and now it’s done. So what are the apartments going for?
Prices begin at $1,821/month for a studio, $2,533 for a 1BR and $3,706 for a 2BR. You can bet your bippy that the higher-floor units with river views and the apartments with private terraces will be going for a pretty penny more. As for the increasingly competitive amenities arms race, here’s what 505W37 is offering, per a press release:
505W37’s central amenity area includes a Wi-Fi enabled clubroom with a café and TV lounge; a catering kitchen; a fully equipped 2,000-square-foot fitness center with low-impact flooring; card-operated laundry; 24-hour attended lobby; and Web-enabled concierge and valet services. Two landscaped courtyards and a pair of beautifully landscaped roof decks bring a park-like feel to the building. The second floor terrace includes several seating areas, reflecting pools and a wide variety of tall trees, shrubs and flowers, while the 37th-floor roof deck features a kitchen, lounge areas, billiards room, library and screening area.
That’s plenty of peace and quiet, though in this neighborhood, there’s no shortage of the stuff. In fact, sometimes it seems like this ‘hood has nothing but new luxury rental towers, which might be why TF Cornerstone put together this promotional video to sell folks on the surroundings. Convinced?
· 505W37 [505w37.com]
· 505 West 37th Street coverage [Curbed]
1) Nolita: Eater has an extensive rundown of the backstory behind Mike’s apartment, the Great Jones Street loft that regularly played host to semi-secret parties. Lots of juicy details, including the rumors that Mike hopes to turn his whole building into a mixed-use performance space/food/office/loft extravaganza.
2) Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo: Hey, Brooklyn Bridge Park fans! Curious about what food options await you? Here are some clues.
3) Midtown West: Momo Midtown, which is really called Ma Peche, is coming soon, and Eater has a few sneak peeks of what’s to come. Exciting!
1) Midtown West: The Tourneau store is leaving Herald Square, and in its place there will be yet another Swarovski. We might be more excited about this if the kings of crystal hadn’t just opened a Fifth Avenue boutique and a Soho shop and cafe. A plus: the latest outpost will be “designed to look like a modern crystal forest.”
2) Soho: Mercer Street store Operationshas closed, but it looks like someone forgot to tell the mannequins. A lot of them are still hanging around (above), along with bust forms, fixtures, and actual clothes. Hey, guys: it’s over.
3) East Harlem: The powers that be at the East River Plaza Costco have finally spoken up in response to shoppers’ complaints about the high cost of parking. And? Basically, not only does Costco say it’s not their fault, it’s not even their parking lot. And they aren’t really sure why New Yorkers are so reluctant to just hop in the car and buy in bulk, either.
With a new luxury rental tower opening for business every week, 2010 has already become the year of the rental, and the pattern is showing no signs of slowing. The Real Deal takes a look at a number of rental buildings that are planning on debuting later this spring, including the 270-unit Addison on Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, and the Garment District building at 350 West 37th Street (tentatively named Townsend) that ruined muralist Richard Haas’s view. TRD also has a reveal on the Ashley, Extell’s quickly assembled 209-unit building at West End Avenue and 63rd Street on the Upper West Side. Part of the developer’s Riverside South collection of towers, the Ashley is the sister building to the Aldyn, the condo building going up right next door (the condos get the fab river views). Up until now the Ashley has been a bit of a mystery, so here are the fun facts:
The two buildings are slated to share a 37,000-square foot amenity space complete with a bowling alley and 75-foot pool, Finn said.
Though rents haven’t been finalized yet, he said studios will likely start at around $2,500 per month, one-bedrooms at $3,200, two-bedrooms at $4,600, and three-bedrooms at $10,000 per month.
The high prices are justified by large sizes for rentals, Finn said, noting that two-bedrooms will range in size starting at 1,200 square feet, and three-bedrooms will start at 1,800 square feet.
Luxury condo owners sharing amenities with renters? Looks like The View/EastCoast setup in Long Island City that takes some knocks from prospective buyers is getting exported to the Upper West Side. That’s going to be one fierce bowling league!
· Slew of new rentals coming to market [Real Deal]
Can a 73-story Manhattan skyscraper “quietly” begin construction? It’s happening at 157 West 57th Street, where—despite a world-renowned architect and a cash injection from Abu Dhabi—the colossal condo/Park Hyatt hotel from developer Gary Barnett’s Extell continues to confound. As seen in sleuthy shots from the site, the foundation is nearly complete. The pit itself has been dug so deep that workers toiling away at the bottom look absolutely Lilliputian. Masses of rebar can be seen poking out this way and that. But renderings remain in hiding, reportedly in the office of French starchitect Christian de Portzamparc. (A thorough scan of the Atelier CdP website yields nothing new.) How long can the Extell gang keep this Midtown monster a mystery? Based on the hubbub surrounding fellow Frenchman Jean Nouvel’s slightly taller Tower Verre, we’re guessing Extell is happy this one is flying under the radar.
· 157 West 57th Street coverage [Curbed]
· Christian de Portzamparc coverage [Curbed]
We recently launched a national version of Racked, which now lives at racked.com. New York City coverage is now at Racked NY’s new URL, ny.racked.com.
[Because a giant mural is never enough, Hollister also gets a sign.]
1) UWS:Burberry is planning to open a new 3,000-square-foot store on—gasp—the Upper West Side. Coordinates: 160 Columbus Avenue, between 67th and 68th streets, just north of the new Apple store.
2) Midtown West: The Macy’s in Herald Square caught on fire again yesterday. And hordes of Midtown shoppers wonder what else is new.
3) NYC: What does the Walgreens takeover of Duane Reade actually mean for toiletry-buying New Yorkers? Cheaper toothpaste! And more Celine Dion fragrances! Phew, our hearts will go on.
And now, the latest from Racked, covering shopping and retail from the sidewalks up. And don’t forget to bookmark Racked NY new’s URL, ny.racked.com.
1) Midtown East: Retailer Hammacher Schlemmer might be giving up its lease on East 57th Street, where it has had a store since the 1920s. The culprit? Pizza! There are too many pizza places in the neighborhood, and they don’t bring in the right kind of retail traffic.
2) UES: Construction watch: Reed Krakoff’s Madison Avenue flagship will open this fall. The collection from Coach’s creative director will look, well, kinda like Coach.
3) Everywhere:Donatella Versace is taking questions on Facebook. And will answer them on video!
The underground luxury mall at The Plaza has been practically a ghost town for a while, and it’s about to get even more, well, ghostly. The Post reports that the mall’s one eatery, the Demel Bakery, could break its 10-year lease for its Plaza space within the next few weeks, leading others to do the same. In a lawsuit, the bakery accuses developer Elad Properties of doing a bait-and-switch, promising Demel luxury neighbors and delivering instead “unknown…retailers or—worse—vacant, unleased space.” The Demel, in response, stopped paying rent a year ago. Whatever would Eloise say? [NYP; previously]
When 11 Times Square was first rendered, designs for the 35-story glassy office tower from architecture firm FXFowle featured an odd hodgepodge of corporate symbols meant to stand in for future tenants. Turns out the real thing isn’t so different! What could become Times Square’s biggest fish bowl has some new signage. Above the main lobby at the corner of 41st Street and Eighth Avenue the makings of “eleven” climb up the facade and, just below, letters spelling out “PRO” are repeated on the glass bricks framing the entryway. Inside the lobby the PRO tag is repeated on the wall facing out to 41st Street. The building has reportedly landed a deal for the law firm of Proskauer Rose to take a bunch of space, so this could be the first visible indication of a long-term relationship.
· 11 Times Square [eleventimessquare.com]
· 11 Times Square coverage [Curbed]
With yesterday’s news that Midtown’s Moynihan Station train hub project is getting $83.3 million from the federal stimulus pot, today’s question is…what exactly will $83.3 million do for a project that’s supposed to cost around $1 billion? And a few different people have a few different answers. The Municipal Art Society, supporters of the station, explain that with the latest cash injection, Phase I of the project is good to go. That phase—to begin this year, with expected completion in 2015—will expand the underground 33rd Street passageway between Penn Station and the Farley Post Office, give Farley two new entrances, and add fancy new ventilation. But raining on the parade is the Observer, which reviews the dismal history of a project that is “always collapsing under its own ambition….Taken in isolation, this first phase does not seem a project worth the significant money being devoted to it.” Burn! But if the project’s second phase does happen, developers Related and Vornado, who once had grand plans for the area, say they’re still interested. Anyone want to lay some odds?
· Green Light for Moynihan Station [MAS]
· Moynihan Bags $83M in Stimulus Change—So What? [NYO]
· Moynihan Station Rises from Grave, Gets $83.3 Million Handout [Curbed]
Racked Reader Alert! Last week, we launched a national version of Racked, which lives at racked.com. But our New York City-specific coverage rolls on stronger than ever at Racked NY, now styling at its new URL, ny.racked.com. Do bookmark, yes?
1) MePa: Building of the Decade the Standard hotel just opened a small sliver of a gift shop on its ground floor. What’s the big deal? Well, over in the Wholesale District, equally hip boutique the Ace Hotel just opened a tchotchke-selling Opening Ceremony and “anti-souvenir shop” Project No. 8, triggering what can only be described as the Gift Shop Wars. It will, scholars say, be the best-dressed battle ever.
2) Bryant Park: The real reason we care about the madness of Fashion Week is a simple one: the abundance of free stuff! One amusing running subplot: Where the gals doling out the gratisYSL Manifesto totes will pop up. Shocker: They weren’t trampled today.
3) MePa A touch of sadness has crashed the around-the-clock party that is the Meatpacking District, as the sidewalk outside West 14th Street’s Alexander McQueen shop has become a memorial to the designer following his death last week.
In space, no one can hear you scream. The same can be said about the Far West Side, where the new rental building Ohm is carving out its niche by offering tenants a nightlife-like experience that includes lobby rock concerts, multicolored light shows and safe storage for the drugs that enable those things to be enjoyable. The 34-story building also has lounges, a glass-enclosed gym and a game room to make any geek weep. What’s with the amenity overdrive? Given Ohm’s isolated Eleventh Avenue location—to be improved upon eventually by (in order) High Line II, the 7 train extension and Hudson Yards—Douglaston Development knew it had to ramp up the entertainment experience to attract tenants willing to shell out $3,600 per month for a 2BR. Did it work? Judge for yourself, as the Ohm gang was nice enough to let us into the building to survey the scene, including a 1BR model apartment on the 21st floor. The 288-unit building was designed by Hotel Gansevoort architect Stephen B. Jacobs, and the interior design is by his wife, Andi Pepper. While we didn’t see any Jersey Shore cast members fist-pumping on the premises during our tour, we’re not ruling out such an outcome in the future.
· Ohm [Official Site]
· Ohm coverage [Curbed]
The perpetual zombie that is Midtown’s Moynihan Station train hub was resurrected for approximately the 837th time this morning. Senator Charles Schumer announced that the station construction project will be getting $83.3 million in federal stimulus funding. For what? The plan is still to turn the landmark Farley Post Office into a station for Amtrak, which struck a deal last fall to relocate there from neighboring (and eventually connected) Penn Station. Back when that deal was made, construction cost estimates stood at around $1 billion. Plans included dining, retail—including a potential big-box store—a post office, and glass skylights. This cash infusion will maybe cover a few panes of glass, but at least NY1 had an excuse to create some nifty animated renderings.
· Schumer: $83M to convert Post Office into new Penn Station [NYP]
· Moynihan Station coverage [Curbed]
Fourteen tons of steel were yanked off the High Line at 30th Street recently to make way for a new staircase and elevator at what will be the northernmost point of the promenade once Section 2 opens. This overhead shot of the “30th Street Spur” (the point where the trestle curves and wraps around the West Side Rail Yards) was taken by one of the High Line’s structural engineers and posted on the High Line Blog. In an earlier item, the High Line Blog explained that, “Like the stairs at Gansevoort Street and 14th Street, the 30th Street stairs will cut through the structure, bringing visitors face-to-face with the High Line’s steel beams and rivets.” Rendering please!
The Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School’s plan to do all sorts of funky things with the mid-block space between its historic brownstones on West 93rd and 94th Streets drew plenty of ire at a recent Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing, but yesterday the LPC unanimously approved the prep school’s drastic rear-yard and cosmetic changes. One edit: The school dropped the height of that astroturf-covered platform from 16 feet to 13 feet, thereby slightly reducing its deadliness. Giving the school the green light wasn’t the only big move by the LPC at yesterday’s marathon meeting. In fact, 2/9/2010 was, dare we say, a blockbuster day o’ fun for preservation geeks.
1) The big news out of Queens is that the LPC voted to hold a public hearing in March about designating an Addisleigh Park Historic District, a 426-building pocket of architectural significance near St. Albans. The area was a stronghold of African-American culture and was once home to Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, W.E.B. DuBois and Jackie Robinson. That’s Jackie Robinson’s house above, via ArchPaper. Who says the LPC doesn’t care about Queens?
2) and 3) The LPC calendared Coney Island’s Shore Theater (the Surf Avenue theater built in the ’20s) and Gramercy House (an Art Deco apartment building at 235-237 East 22nd Street built in 1931) for landmark designation. A Shore Theater designation feels especially timely given all the uncertainty surrounding Coney Island’s future.
4) Midtown’s Penn Club at 30-32 West 44th Street (formerly the Yale Club) was designated a landmark. The 11-story red-brick mens’ club was completed in 1901 and designed by veterans of the McKim, Mead & White firm (though not any of those headliners).
There’s even more, yes more stuff that went down on the ninth floor of 1 Centre Street yesterday, including the landmarking of the Lower East Side’s 143 Allen Street. Check out the LPC’s press release for all the history-protectin’ goodness.
· Yo Developers, Y’All Can’t Fuck Wit These [LPC; warning: PDF]
Yet again, the worn out Hotel Pennsylvania is on wrecking ball alert. We know: owner Vornado Realty Trust has threatened to tear down the building and replace it with an office tower so many times that by now the statement is just an eyeball-rolling exercise. But let those eyeballs get a load of this: Vornado has entered the public review process for the proposed Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed tower, which, at 1,216 feet, would be the city’s third-tallest building. If the building makes it through the process, actual demolition of the Hotel Penn (which Vornado, back in ‘08, called “a placeholder, sort of like a parking lot”) still wouldn’t happen right away. But Vornado wants to be ready should a prospective tenant wander along. The developer’s also covering all of its basis: one tower design is for a single office tenant, while another version is more retail-heavy, the Observer reports. There will likely be resistance ahead from preservationists and neighbors, but hey, Vornado’s offering to reopen the underground walkway between Penn Station and Herald Square. Deal?
· City’s New Third-Tallest Tower? [NYO]
· Hotel Pennsylvania coverage [Curbed]
MIDTOWN—West 34th Street is always in need of cosmetic upgrades, and commercial megalandlord SL Green just announced it finished one at 333 West 34th Street, an office building the company purchased in 2007. The landlord enlarged and renovated the lobby and created a new 21,000-square-foot retail space, all through “recapturing cafeteria and other underutilized space.” There’s now an 18-foot-high glass wall wrapping the front of the building, the perfect sheltered and safe hangout to meet the guy you found on Craigslist to buy your Rangers tickets. [CurbedWire Inbox]
HELL’S KITCHEN—More proof from a tipster that Related’s massive tower rising at 440 West 42nd Street will look like those leaked renderings: “I spoke to one of the construction guys and he told me the building would have two heights; the west side of the block would be 25 stories and the east side would be a whopping 60 stories tall. Holy moly, that’s as big as the Silver Towers.” True, but this one’s all laid back about getting stoned and stuff. Awww yeah. [CurbedWire Inbox]
HELL’S KITCHEN—Did we speak too soon when we said Related’s massive condo/rental tower at 440 West 42nd Street might end up matching the disavowed renderings of the project. A tipster writes: “I keeping a close eye on your coverage since that building’s going to block my kick ass view. Attached is an aerial view of the construction. You can see it’s not quite matching up to Related’s ‘leaked’ plans.” Still looks like the early stuff to us, with that setback above the stone-covered base. Are we seeing things? [CurbedWire Inbox]
HARLEM—Thanks to a wave of new development Frederick Douglass Boulevard has been called Harlem’s Gold Coast, and every Gold Coast needs some fabulous, er, groceries. Enter the Best Yet Market, which one very enthusiastic tipster fills us in on: “You may want to check out the new Best Yet Market that opened Thursday afternoon on Fredrick Douglass and 118. Its a great grocery store and will mean all the folks in the new condos on Fred Douglass have a place to shop. Its large with 3 levels. Mezz level has coffee and desert bar with comfortable chairs and couches. It was already busy and folks are talking about it.”
“On a 10 point scale, if Le Bon Marche in Paris is an 11, Whole Food Columbus Circle an 8.5, then this is a solid 7. Better than any Gristedes, C-Town in the city. Its better than the narrow and crowed Fairways which has good stuff but the crowds are a pain. It has a much bigger selection than Trader Joes – but more expensive. Price is the only draw back — things were less expensive than Whole Paycheck but more expensive than Fairway or Trader Joes.” [CurbedWire Inbox]
Our tipline has been abuzz this morning with rumors that all tenants were evacuated yesterday from rental building 1182 Broadway. We checked with the Department of Buildings—which has one “work without permit” violation posted for the property—to get the full story. And that is? A DOB spokesperson tells us the agency investigated after anonymous complaints and found that the property was illegally converted from a 16-floor manufacturing building into residential apartments. The building had no fire sprinklers, no secondary exit, and only one stairwell, which could trap tenants in the building in the event of a fire, so the DOB slapped owner Mocal Enterprises with violations for converting the building without a permit and for occupancy contrary to DOB regulations. According to DOB, tenants were evacuated with the aid of city agencies and the Red Cross. So who called in the complaint? That’s the big question. The grungy neighborhood (WhoDi to us) has been branded the “next big thing” thanks to a crop of new luxury boutique hotels opening in the area. The hipsterest of them all, the Ace Hotel, is right next door.
With a new luxury rental tower opening for business every week, 2010 has already become the year of the rental, and the pattern is showing no signs of slowing. 
With yesterday’s 
The Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School’s plan to do 
