Development Du Matin: The Atelier
Thursday, April 13, 2006, by Joey
Rarely does a new development as massive as the Atelier sneak under our radar (especially when it's located smack-dab on 42nd Street), but that's exactly what the 46-story, 478-unit gigantoid has done. Perhaps we haven't heard a peep because the thing is so damn far west, over on the rarely-treaded 11th Avenue, just north of the Javits Center and east of New Jersey. But the construction is far along, as you can see, and it caught our eye as we strolled by. The big tower of glass theme reminded us of another Midtown project, 1600 on the Square, and both happen to be marketed by The Marketing Directors. Conspiracy theorists are on the case.
The Atelier was designed by Costas Kondylis, who—according to CityRealty—said the design was inspired by the oceanliners that used to dock nearby. Um, sure. It's being developed by the Moinian Group, and prices start at $680,000. On the luxury amenities front, because we're suckers for luxury amenities that no one will actually use, you've got yourself a gym, indoor pool and sky-high roof deck complete with vertigo-inducing basketball court. Pictures of the deck and pool after the jizzump.
· Atelier [ateliercondos.com]
It's, what, a twenty minute walk from the subway?
I live across the street and construction on the Atelier seems to have stopped two weeks ago. Anyone know what's up?
drek. all his work is drek. an aesthetic disaster.
I too live(d) across the street (for the last 4 years and moved) and all I know is, if you have enough money to spend $800,000 on an apartment in Manhattan, why on earth would you live here? The neighborhood is non-existent. Yes, subway is a 20 minute walk. Nearest grocery store is 15 minutes, nearest drug-store is a 10 minute walk. It's constantly windy like you wouldn't believe and freezing in the winter, you have the Falun Gong protestors out nearly every day protesting facing the Chinese Embassy (your next-door neighbors), and I can tell you the tenants across the street (River Place where I live) though many are wonderful people, we've heard stories of many a drug-deal going on in our building lobby.
They're going to have one hell of a time selling those condos. Even if the neighborhood eventually gets developed, it still doesn't change the fact that your nearest subway is in the lovely Port Authority/Times Square area. Yuck.
Um, is that a volleyball court on the roof deck right by the edge? If so, that better be one high fence. Volleyballs raining down from 42 stories do not strike me as a good idea.
Forget v- and b-balls raining down. It will be WAY too windy up there to play any ball-in-the-air oriented sport. Just my 2 cents.
Doubt it . They sold out at that Orion Building .. And thats next to a nasty post office and the Port Authority.
I think that volleyball/basketball parky like thing is on the third floor. I went to the sales office. Had to towel off afterwards from the greasy sales "professionals". That beautiful pool is less than 60' so you may turn loco like the central park polar bears.
#4- What does the doormen do about the supposed drug dealing? Is he in on it. I agree with you on the nonexistant neighborhood. I much rather live in Harlem than that far west at least up there you have great subway access downtown.
They will be forced to rent out some of these units.
I heard the asking prices were starting from $1200 per square foot. Christ! When did the far west start commanding that kind of premium?
B-balls raining down from the third floor don't sound like a good idea either. Did no one think about that when designing this? Weird! :)
Joey,
Describing 11th Ave as "East of New Jersey" is brilliant my man, brilliant!!!!!
I think, as usual, most posters here are missing the point. It's a beautiful building. The area is experiencing growth and many new condominiums are built there - so the stores and the restaurants will come. Don't forget about the extension of the subway (line 7) that is planned for the Javitz center. As always, the only question here is price. I am sure lots of people would be willing to pay decent bucks to live in this beautifuk high-rise with so many amenities. I bet high floors will have great vies of NJ and the city.
People are bitching about the location yet think it's acceptable to live in Brooklyn? Please.
Yes, the location is among the worst in Manhattan, other than Battery Park and North of 96th. Nevertheless, it is semi-convenient to Midtown, Chelsea and the West Village (and the UWS, as if anyone cares).
That said, I would rather live in a smaller place in an actual neighborhood.
Roof ballers beware: I've seen guys die from running with a full head of steam and slapping the backboard so hard that it breaks, sending the roof-baller careening off the top of a 40-story building to his untimely death. Oh wait, that was just a scene in "Above the Rim" starring Tupac as a guy who can't play basketball and Eric Nies from the first Real World as a guy who CAN play basketball. Oops! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul-g72sW_9c
14
adding a few huge buildings doesn't bring retail - for confirmation of such fact see the financial district.
Now your point of the 7 train sticks - IF the 7 is extended and a stop put on 10th ave or so -then the neighborhood's retail will grow -but most of the people who are buying now won't be there to see the 7 train -ask people who bought apartments on 82nd and York in 1975 about how quickly new trains lines get built.
Closest drugstore is 42nd and 10th (CVS) and closest Grocery store is Food Emporium between Dyer Ave and 10th on 42nd. Not quite a 15 and 20 minute walk for most able-bodied adults in my estimation. Also, Whole Foods may be on ground floor of Related Cos yet unbuilt condo project (now a huge pit) on 42nd between Dyer and 10th. Falun Gong protestors consist of 20-30 people sitting cross-legged praying/meditatiingsilently so as protests go, no particularily distruptive in my opinion.
It is super windy there for sure. I've lived in River Place for 6 months and I agree with comments - there seem to be some sketchy goings on in this building - I can't quite but my finger on it but some of the people I see in the lobby/elevators seem to be of a certain element - the words Eastern European and Mafia come to mind.
Cougardice - yes, that sounds about right - only mafia will live there :) For those working in Midtown, it's just a short bus ride. And don't forget about the folks that take the ferry to NJ - ferry terminal is not that far from this building.
When Trump was building his building on the edge of Upper West side, some people said that it won't sell because the subway is far as it's windy there. Try to afford any of those condos now....
Did anyone notice the ad in last weeks Sunday NYT - with large close ups of MODELS surrounding the buildings logo... ick. Does that mean that exotic almost bald banana republic model lives there?
And I'm sure the apartments in ear shot of the b-ball court will be _so_ psyched about the noise level...
Leo, you work for Douglas Elliman dont you? Corcoran? Apts and Lofts? Which one is it?
The 7 train extention... please! That will be great for the grandchildren of people who buy in this Orwellian nightmare + basketball court in the sky.
^ ok, so don't buy there. But keep your negativity based in reality please. 20 minute walk to the train? If you're 90 and using a walker!
^ ok, so don't buy there. But keep your negativity based in reality please. 20 minute walk to the train? If you're 90 and using a walker!
chad: Yes - I work for all of them at night. During the day, I am just another real estate observer like you :) I am not trying to say this particular buidling is a great investment because there are no floor plans to look at and no prices announced. Secondly, I bought my little condo this year in UES and happy with it. All I am saying, those people that say that no one will buy apartments in this building and that it's all crap don't know what they are talking about. You have to understand that this is one of the few areas in the city where there's still a place to build high-rises and it will be built up in the next few years. All this talk about windiness and emptiness is silly. People have paid big bucks to live on York avenue on UES even though the subway has always been far away and there are no stores or restaurants in many places on York Ave. I just feel that in Manhattan all new developments of this kind will attract interest. Obviously, it will also be a question of price.
By the way, I just looked at the map - what people said about the subway is not even true. This building is 2-2.5 big blocks from A,C,E trains on 42nd street (10 min walk tops). And by the way, Larry Silverstein is building a huge rental building right next to the Atelier.
Leo, it's 3.5 avenue blocks. That's a long way before even getting on the subway. I'm just imaginging how long and tiring it would be to get to/from Target to/from this apartment. Maybe it's for people with cars, I dunno. Price is stupid but that goes without saying.
7 units sold in the first day.
One man's trash is another's treasure.
Greasy salesperson or clueless buyer?
Which gets hated on more: West 42nd and 11th or DUMBO?
Half of the opinions that are posted are from people who know as much about nyc real estate as they do their unemployment benefits.
leo, im sorry, but that building is so hideously generic i can't even muster the words to describe its utter, expansive banality. costas kondylis is a talentless architect developers go to when they want an out-of-the-box cheapo design. just my personal opinion.
The location isnt that horrible. People talk trash but then again dont really know what they are talking about. Tru, it doesnt have the "neighborhood" around it. food stores are close by as is Freshdirect. I personally dont live living in a neighborhood. My block in midtown has only one residential building and the rest is office and hotel. Which is fine by me. I dont have food stores close by, its about a 10 min walk to one but how many times do I go f-shopping for alot of stuff, maybe bi-weekly? Milk and other staples are everywhere. And its transportation disposition is no different than living on York Ave on the UES. You walk in the summer and take the bus in the winter. Or, gosh, take a cab. Think of it this way, the location is also perfect for New Jersey ex-urbs to have a "weekend theatre" condo. This building will probably have similiar clients as the Times Square condo (i.e. 100% out of towners).
The neighborhood IS that horrible. I HAVE lived there for 4 years. You try finding a cab when Lincoln Tunnel traffic is backed up the entire block. Or better yet - 50% of cabs won't even pull into the building b/c they say it's illegal for them to cross the street to pull in front (are they serious)? Re: Cougardice and drug dealings in the lobby, doormen can't do anything b/c they're afraid to. One doorman said people in the building do all sorts of stuff that goes way beyond a doorman's job. There was a sign up a few weeks ago that says "We can only accept deliveries of packages for tenants who LIVE HERE" meaning all sorts of stuff was being left as a go-between.
All of you nay-sayers who say crap about wind and emptiness - why don't YOU go stand on that block in January and tell me about the wind? Of COURSE it will get built up, eventually - but I would never hold my breath for a supposed subway line extension and the Javits Center expansion. How many cities do you know of where large convention centers are located in the desirable areas to live? Enough said.
i lived on 43rd btw 10 and 11 (new gotham) for 2.5 yrs. the neighborhood isnt that bad, except for a couple of issues:
1. commuting: the choices are ACE at the port authority, which is kind of grotty and a madhouse at rush hours or hoofing it to times square, which means negotiating 42nd street and the general insanity of that area. i usually ended up walking ON 42nd street itself when returning from work to avoid the masses lined up for coldstone creamery on the sidewalk.
2. 9th avenue: it's a decent neighborhood street with loads of restaurants (many of which are good delivery options), but the area around 42nd street has lately taken on an icky neon-sign sports bar feel that's really out of character with the demographic of the rest of hell's kitchen/clinton
3. groceries: food emporium is disgusting, overpriced and unfriendly. freshdirect all the way
It's a mid 70's table lamp missing it's shade. Shag-a-delic!
I think it's worth considering what "just a few crosstown blocks to the subway" or "3-4 blocks to some restaurants" really means.
I wouldn't say someone was stupid for buying into that place, but when it comes down to it for Manhattanites, walking a few blocks for *everything* can get to be kind of a drag (and it assumes that you like everything that's nearby to begin with).
It's the kind of thing you may think you can deal with easily when you first move in, but I'm guessing that for a lot of folks, it wears out quite quickly, and you either wind up holing up in your apartment and ordering Fresh Direct and a plasma tv, or you still go out but enjoy it less and spending way more on cabs.
I can't imagine it not becoming an issue for anyone living over there -- maybe I'm just lazier than most But most people end up staying pretty local in their day to day lives and if you don't have nice things close, it's not a heck of a lot of fun.
Just wait until Shvo gets in the picture. The west side will never be the same. By the way, 20 Pine is humming up nicely with over 40% sales. Only for those who can afford.
40% sold/in contract is hardly impressive giving the relentless marketing they've employed. Majority of Michael Shvo's buyers are investors, mostly fellow Israelis and few Americans, looking to flip/rent this development. Total sales pressure wherein one has to walk out of an appointment with a contract and after placing 10% deposit. You just can't windowshop and think about. That's the Shvo modus operandi. Let's Shvo!
BTW, all the alcove studios are spoken for per Marcus Heileman at sales office during broker open house last Tuesday. You gotta start at the 1 bedrooms. Building is quite imppressive, like a junior Urban Glass House. Missed the better hors d'oeurves by the time I got there, just Cupcake Cafe cupcakes and tons of champagne. Boy, that Joe Moinian sure knows how to throw a party....
Shvo, the real estate messiah.
Too funny. I have always assumed that Leo, Larry and Bing were the same person based on their inane posts but I am happy to say that Bing made his first comment that I agree with and that Leo and Larry are still agreeing with each other.
Technically, this is West New York, NJ? No??
I have to agree with most people about everything. This place is tasteless, unlike my recent purchase. I might have considered purchasing here if it weren't for the horrible looks and possible prices.
I decided instead to buy at 20 Pine. It is really a great place where I got a 4 bedroom 6th floor pad. My family couldn't be happier!
At least that comes with perks like the Armani name, lap pool, roof garden that isnt actually in the sky, and other amenities like furniture included!
Its a great place, if there are any apartments left, I highly reccommend it.
I live on 43rd street also.and it is windy and cold in the winter some nights all you can hear is the wind blasting against the windows which can be so annoying. Also the car horns blasting away all evening long can make you jump out of your skin since it's right by the tunnel..it makes me crazy. And trust me who ever lives in this buidling will hear it..the traffic gets so backed up on 11th ave..so beware.
But I like the area because it's away from everything. The subway to enter on is 43& 8th avoid T.S I like the walk in the morning it wakes me up. I think hard about paying lots of $$ for an apt in this building but I do still like the area. And to walk down the westside high in the nice weather is great.
Stop hating on our neighborhood. Everyone take a look around any neighborhood in the NYC area. One side of a street can be glamours and beautiful and the other side could looks like a war zone.
I have lived on 43rd and 10th for 3 years now. Did not like it at first but I absolutely adore it now. I love living in these hi rise buildings as opposed to brownstones. They are so very convenient for all of my needs as a young female professional on the go. I have lived all over Manhattan - East Villiage, West Village, SoHo, Chealsea, Upper Eastside, LES, Harlem and Fort Greene and have to say, I never felt completely safe in any of those apts. It feels so good not to have to worry about safety in Mahattan as a woman. I feel very safe in my building and neighborhood.
I can see the Atelier building from my window. At first I wanted to shoot paint balls at the building for blocking some of my view but now I like it and am very interested in living there. I love the view, I love the wind and I love to walk (beats going to the gym) and who the hell cares about the subway ...... TAKE A TAXI!!!!!!
I also live on 43rd and 10th. After 19 yrs. I've seen my great view of the river diminish with every new building. That monster on the south side of 42nd/11th Ave. is the largest apt. building in the country and I hate it!!
Now I hear they plan a duplicate on the empty lot in front of it. After the lot was cleared all work stopped. Just like the hole on 42nd bet. Dyer/10th Ave. Anyone know what's going on? Both lots can stay empty and that would make me very happy but that's not going to happen. So what's up with these dormant lots?
things dont get done in the west 30's through the 40's because of joe restuccia, executive director of clinton housing development company, also a member of community board 4. he holds up development so he and chdc can get a piece of the action. the guy has no education and runs a multi million dollar non profit real estate development company with a board of directors stacked with friends and "close" friends. if you like vacant lots and crack houses in chelsea and hell's kitchen, just thank joe restuccia.
I just herd that nick lachey is moving in there
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