Renaissance Man
The five apartments at the former Christie’s East auction house at 219 East 67th Street have just hit the market, and an unusual thing is happening: The brokers are referring to the apartments in the 36,000-square-foot building, which is being renovated by the developer Shahab Karmely and Aby Rosen’s RFR Realty juggernaut, as "lofts."
True, the building was once a garage, and the developers are delivering them as "raw" space apartments. But can it be a "loft" if it’s above 59th Street?
"This is for the person who wants the space of Tribeca but doesn’t want to have to go downtown to find it," said exclusive listing broker Carrie Chiang. (She’s co-brokering the apartments with her partner Ralph Krueger.)
This isn’t the first time up has been down in the neighborhood. In 2000, 515 Park Avenue was marketed as "loft-style" residences with "open floor plans," and more recently, the Liberty Warehouse at 43 West 64th Street was developed by the Athena Group into 32 raw-space lofts ranging in price from $1.275 million to $10.2 million.
Ms. Chiang and Mr. Krueger are listing 4,665-square-foot full-floor apartments on floors two through five at $5.4 million, $5.85 million, $6.3 million and $6.75 million, respectively. The 5,886-square-foot penthouse duplex carries a $10.4 million asking price. Maintenance on the apartments range from $4,802 to $6,983 for the penthouse.
Ms. Chiang says she has received approval by the attorney general for the offering plan, and can now accept contracts on the listings. The apartments will be delivered in January.
Staying true to Christie’s pedigree, the development will offer a bevy of luxurious details. The building, on the north side of 67th Street between Second and Third avenues, sits across from the Solow townhouses and includes a private underground car park accessed by a remote-controlled elevator, with spots reserved for each resident. Inside the apartments, which are being built with 10-foot ceilings but without the intrusive structural columns typical in many lofts, the finishings include high-tech security systems with close-circuit television monitoring, key-card entry and an intercom system connected to the buildings 24-hour concierge. Other advanced details include remote-control panels that control the lighting, heat and curtains, and can even activate a bath or shower at a desired temperature. The apartments all include private balconies, and the top-floor duplex has its own 3,650-square-foot roof-top terrace.
The ground floor is equally opulent. The glass-walled lobby has a 19-foot ceiling and an imported English slate floor. The ground floor also includes 3,500 square feet of retail space that Ms. Chiang said developers hope to fill with a spa tenant.