Have tough times arrived over at The Onyx, the often-stalled 52-unit condo project at 261 West 28th Street? Perhaps the infamous credit crunch is to blame for the RENT NOW signs which have recently appeared there. It was only a year ago that the Onyx gang was partying it up, celebrating the possibility of living within that big stack of black. So, besides the general economic craziness, what's going on? Gripes from those who bought there have not gone unnoticed. Still, being a stone's throw from midtown, and with the Lincoln Tunnel so close, what could there be not to like? Those who are still interested might want to take a look at a couple of listings, the first starting just below $6K per month for something new with 1-bed 1-bath while $7K brings a 1-bed with a big spacious terrace for viewing the world below. Deals abound!
· Development Update-o-Rama: Stalled at Onyx [Curbed]
· Onyx Parties Down [Curbed]
· New Development GripeWire: Chelsea Edition [Curbed]
UPDATE: Corcoran broker Joseph Bongiovanni writes: "Having sold out the Onyx Chelsea myself, I can tell you it is, in fact, sold out. A few condo owners who bought and closed are renting out their units. The 'For Rent' sign is for the commercial space. For the record, the Onyx never stalled although there was a slight delay of putting up the façade. It is an awards-winning façade designed by the highly acclaimed FXFowle."
Last week when we posted about this hole-y corniced condo at 72 Mercer / 501 Broadwaycommenters were all over the place. One said it was "great fucking architecture...contextual and beautiful" while another declared it was "adequate design at best...lame...pointless...geometry is poor and underdeveloped." Perhaps a little floorplan porn for for the west-facing penthouse will generate equally diverse displays of language.
· Some PoMo Up Top of Soho's 501 Broadway [Curbed]
· Comment of the Day: 501 Broadway [Curbed]
Single-family townhouses with 100 feet of Park Avenue frontage are few and far between, so the 25-room red brick mansion at 603 Park Ave. feels like a bargain. Sure, it's listed at $35 million, but with $50 million townhouses flying off the shelves like Cabbage Patch Kids (those are still popular, right?), we would've guessed that this home would at least be up in that category. So what's wrong? Well, 603 Park Avenue has bounced around the brokerages for years, with asking prices fluctuating between $30-$35 million. The latest brokerage to give it a shot, luxury specialists Gumley Haft Kleier, has had the listing for a week. The City Review offers some input into why this is such a tough sell: "The building has a central skylit staircase but it is only 20 feet deep and its interiors while handsome are not spectacular." But surely some heir out there recognizes the potential?
· Listing: 603 Park Avenue [GHK]
This cheesy graphic looks familiar, no? That's because it was this time last week when we were sitting around discussing the limited edition PriceChop at the Toll Brothers' Fifth Street Lofts building in Long Island City. For one week only, a two-bedroom unit was trimmed $34,000, down to $979,990. Well, that deal may have expired on Monday, but that wasn't the end of the savings. Fifteen of 5SL's 22 active listings were chopped this week, by a variety of amounts ranging from $32,000 to $86,000. The gory details are up on StreetEasy for perusal. Curiously, that 2BR from last week did indeed have its price raised back to the original ask of $1,013,990. Oh Toll Brothers, why must you mess with our minds?!
· Listings: Fifth Street Lofts [Halstead]
· Curbed Limited Edition PriceChopper: Fifth Street Lofts [Curbed]
· Checking In: LIC's Fifth Street Lofts Looking Ready to Rock [Curbed]
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN—An amateur graph guru, not to be confused with ourgraph guru, submits the above piece of eye candy and writes: "I got a little bored at work, and started playing with Property Shark (and Excel). Fun site. In looking at the 110 Livingston numbers—I'm figuring its a big and prominent Brooklyn building where the stats would be meaningful—I noticed a pretty significant downward trend in average price-per-square-foot sales. I left out penthouse numbers knowing that one sale there could swing the numbers far in one direction or the other. I also charted average square feet per apartment to see if that had an effect, but the numbers have been pretty stable in the last few months of the decline. The trend is pretty clearly down for the average apartment... going from $825/850 in the summer to $600/650 now. There might be other factors at work, but WOW, is that a big fall." [CurbedWire Inbox]
LONG ISLAND CITY—I'm not completely sure about this but it seems a bunch of units of 44-27 Purves were recently put back in the market with higher than original asking prices. See here. A few units at the Badge Building look to be sold by flippers as well. Flippers out in force in LIC? [CurbedWire Inbox]
We don't care if it's negative ten-thousand degrees outside, there's nothing like a hot sexy Tribeca roof deck to fire up the senses. And while this penthouse loft, on Greenwich Street between Vestry and Laight, is currently in the midst of a massive renovation, Sotheby's broker Fred Williams sure knew how to draw interest: show off the happy ending. Architects Ogawa/DePardon have designed a staircase leading up from the 3,000-square-foot loft to a glass-enclosed bulkhead and the 2,000-square-foot private terrace. We could do without the dude and the dog, because they're definitely going to get in the way of the Slip-n-Slide we're going to set up by that grill. Oh, and the loft is kind of sweet, too. Listed at $5,450,000, but it's also "available unfinished, with approved plans and only the stair, stair bulkhead, and roof terrace completed" for $4.8.
· Listing: Tribeca Penthouse [Sotheby's]
Lots of "ooohs" as yet another Soho parking lot falls to the luxury condo market, this one on the busy block of Broadway between Broome and Spring. The number on Broadway is 501, which could lead to some obvious retail opportunities, but the official residential address is 72 Mercer. The architecture shows a touch of Post Modernism in the details and is brought to us by TRA Studio, the same gang who are getting ready to fill a hole one block down at 44 Mercer. This one has 9 units with a couple of penthouses up top and, for those who like to spy on their neighbors, a glassy light well running down the middle. One four-bedroom joint with fireplace and balcony seems to have just gone to contract for over $3 Million. That kind of coin could buy somebody a lot of denim.
· Luxury Loft Living in the Heart of SoHo [Seventy-Two Mercer website]
· Floorplan Porn: $25M Townhouse at 44 Mercer [Curbed]
· Selected Residence: 72 Mercer Street Condominium [Brown Harris Stevens]
Depending on your take, 15 Union Square West is either a visually striking update to the 139-year-old former home of Tiffany & Co., or the architectural equivalent of kicking dirt on the grave of history. But no matter what side you fall on, 15 Union Square West has arrived, and it must be reckoned with. The Sun's dapper boy wonder Bradley Hope reports today that developer Brack Capital and Brown Harris Stevens' Shlomi Reuveni quietly began marketing the 36 apartments this week, and to build more anticipation for 15 USW's glass-wrapped iron arches, the façade will remain shrouded until it's completed later this year. Prices start at $4 million for two-bedroom units, and three-bedrooms start at $6 million. According to Reuveni, there has been "strong interest from foreign buyers and those wishing to own larger spaces," and combo jobs may be in the offing. And here's an interesting little perk: the building will have valet parking, thanks to a partnership with a nearby garage. What better way for foreign buyers to enjoy that Union Square vibe without, you know, having to actually deal with it?
· Condos at Former Tiffany Headquarters Hit the Market [Sun]
· Every 15 Union Square West Floorplan: Units 1-12 [Curbed]
· Every 15 Union Square West Floorplan: Units 13-24 [Curbed]
· Every 15 Union Square West Floorplan: Units 25-36 [Curbed]
We've been watching the gray brick condos built by Tahoe Development in the area north of McCarren Park in Greenpoint since they were steel. Since then, they've all acquired dumb names like Manhattan Avenue Condos (MAC) and NorthpoinT Towers. The news condo is starting sales with its first open house this weekend and it's got a stunningly creative name: New Condos. There's a building going right next to the New Condos too, but we don't know if the building will be called the Even Newer Condos.
· Greenpoint's Tahoe Triangle Looking Very Gray [Curbed]
· Greenpoint's Tahoe Triangle Taking Shape [Curbed]
PriceSpotter is Curbed's asking price guessing game. We provide you with some details and pictures from an apartment listing, and you take a crack at the price in the comments. Tomorrow we reveal the answer. And hey, no cheating!
What/Where: Duplex penthouse loft on Great Jones Street btwn Lafayette/Bowery Square Feet: Not listed Maintenance: $1,600 The Skinny: It's hard not to drool a little over this 2BR, 2.5BA beauty safely tucked into the Noho Historic District. There's a lot to love: the pre-war charm, the exposures, the kitchen, the washer/dryer, the open living, the roof deck. Mmm, delicious. But it ain't Bond Street, and that's going to keep prices (relatively) sane. So browse the gallery and place your bets.
· Curbed PriceSpotter Archives [Curbed]
The website for The Edge on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg has long said that sales are kicking off in March. To that end, work is moving fast on the sales office that will probably be around for a bit at N. 6 and Kent. At the same time, the first bit of vertical construction rising from the huge two square block pit for the development is now actually visible from street level which is another small milestone in the transformation of Kent Avenue, although the huge project has a long way to go before it starts showing above the fence. Phase I will have 575 market rate and 350 affordable units and Phase II could have another 500-600 units.
· Construction Watch: The Edge Ready to Rise [Curbed]
· The Edge Getting Edgier, Finally Shows Buildings [Curbed]
Comments
Depending on your take, 15 Union Square West is either a 
