Socially-distanced Santa: one Miami development has modified it’s annual holiday pop-up.
FRANCISCO AGUILA
With more people staying home for the holidays, some high-end residential developments are going all out on their holiday amenities, while making sure they’re safe and socially distanced.
In New York City, for example, the luxury condo 50 West, in partnership with a company called Axiom Amenities, is creating its own Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt, providing winter holiday boxes with hot chocolate kits, holding a building-wide sugar cookie decorating contest and socially-distanced Sufganiyot event and holding a building-wide Secret Santa.
At nearby luxury rental 525 West 52nd Street, residents can take part in a grab-and-go holiday happy hour, complete with cheese and charcuterie and dessert in mason jars.
In Miami, the Reach and Rise Residences at Brickell City Centre is still hosting its annual “Santa’s Post Office” pop-up through December 24. Residents of the mixed-use development recently had a day to exclusively take pictures with Santa at a COVID-19-mandated 8 feet away.
Christa Dabkowski, vice president of marketing for Swire Properties, the developers behind Brickell City Centre’s Reach and Rise residential towers, said the property has changed its traditional holiday celebrations to focus on its local residents.
“Specifically, with COVID-19 impacting international tourism – which typically is a huge traffic and sales driver in this region, particularly taking into account that so many Latin American families make their homes here for good parts of the year, particularly winter – we really needed to rethink our holiday programming,” Dabkowski says. “Our focus is our foundational audience – those who live and work in Brickell. As a mixed-use lifestyle centre, our residents – who literally live atop the retail – are our family and want, more than ever, for their home to be everything they need. As such, we’ve instituted things like private nights with Santa, with one family at a time, in our innovative, socially-distant Santa’s Post Office experience, as well as ways to support local small businesses with our rotating ‘Holiday Pop-Ins.’ In short, no one has to go far to get a little holiday magic.”
Residents of Drewery Place in Houston will have a social event as last year, but the developers are making it an outdoor street party.
“We had a Christmas celebration last year for the residents, it’s great for them to meet their neighbors,” says Emma Alexander, acting chief operating officer and director of sales and marketing for Drewery Place developer Caydon. “Celebrating this year is even more important we believe because it’s been such a tough, tumultuous year for so many due to COVID. It’s nice to have something to look forward to, even if you do have to social distance.”
It’s difficult to visit here and not think about food. It’s difficult to say the name and not think about food! But word associations aside, the reputation Hell’s Kitchen holds as a culinary powerhouse is long-lived and well-deserved. From its humble roots in tenement housing and bootleg distilleries, this neighborhood has blossomed into one of the city’s most prominent playgrounds for foodies, where delicacies from all corners of the earth can be enjoyed in venues ranging from black-tie elegant to food-truck casual.
On Restaurant Row
Any mention of restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen usually starts with ‘Restaurant Row,’ a stretch of West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues which boasts little else than food. If you’ve snapped up an apartment for rent in Hell’s Kitchen, ‘Restaurant Row’ is in your backyard, and the offerings there are legendary. The oldest and arguably most famous restaurant in the bunch is Barbetta, a dazzling Italian gem that’s been owned by the same family for more than 100 years. Across the street, Joe Allen’s classic American fare has added spice: the possibility of celebrity sightings, and Bar Centrale below is the place for elegant pre- and post-theater drinks. Headed for its sixth anniversary on the famous street, La Pulperia boasts Chef Barroz’s exciting blend of Latin American flavors with a break from the formality that characterizes so many of the street’s offerings.
Off Restaurant Row
An apartment for rent in Hell’s Kitchen may come at a price, but rent includes a culinary passport. Off ‘Restaurant Row,’ the neighborhood practically teems with epicurean delights. Pick a country off the map and chances are good that there’s a restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen offering its national cuisine. Various waterfront restaurants let you feel like you’re on vacation, with greats like Pier 81 and North River Lobster Company on opposite ends of the spectrum; Pier 81 is fine dining while a visit to NRLC means dining in a fish shack. The Ninth Avenue Association’s International Food Festival has occurred every May since 1974 and is one of the city’s oldest street fairs. Tenth Avenue between 43rd and 47th Streets is a food-truck highway, allowing patrons to experience a wide array of local and international options without breaking the bank.
This neighborhood has something for everyone as far as food is concerned. An apartment for rent in Hell’s Kitchen means you can experience it all, with ease and at your leisure. You could pick a new restaurant in the area each week for a year and you wouldn’t travel far, there’s so much on offer. Its history, location and buzzing energy all combine to make Hell’s Kitchen a central location in NYC’s food scene and a prime spot to call home.
Hell’s Kitchen rentals offer more than lively nightlife and top restaurants in a prime location. Another perk of calling this neighbourhood home is its proximity to some of the city’s best cultural attractions, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Museum of Arts and Design. For lovers of science and history, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum offers visitors the chance to come aboard a national historic landmark, explore a wide variety of exhibits related to flight and tour authentic aircraft and vessels.
As the focal point of the museum, the USS Intrepid is a decommissioned former aircraft carrier which fought in World War II, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Visitors to the museum can walk the decks of this historic ship and view 28 authentically restored aircraft from the flight deck. The adjacent Space Shuttle Pavilion houses the Enterprise space shuttle, a major part of NASA’s human spaceflight program, and includes information about the talented individuals who dedicated themselves to this extraordinary endeavor.
Other attractions at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum include the British Airways Concorde jet, which made the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing in history, taking just under three hours. The submarine Growler is the only American guided missile submarine open to the public, where visitors can glimpse formerly top-secret equipment.
When learning about space, submarines and service to country has left you famished, the museum’s Aviator Grill serves hearty breakfasts and lunches overlooking the pier, while the Intrepid Marketplace offers New York classics from the mess deck of the ship. Two different museum stores on site ensure you’ll find the perfect souvenir or gift. Who knew Hell’s Kitchen rentals were in walking distance of some of the most exciting and daring technologies of the sea and sky?
The phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!” definitely applies to Hell’s Kitchen, but only if you understand ‘the heat’ to mean historically awesome nightlife, exciting restaurants and an energy that feels like the essence of NYC. What was once the gritty home of working-class Irish immigrants later become a haven for actors, where low rents and walking commutes to theaters on Broadway made the neighborhood an obvious choice. Now, Hell’s Kitchen is best known for its density and its diversions, where old-style New York frivolity meets ever-modernizing spaces for living and leisure. Still not convinced? Here are five solid reasons why you won’t regret opting for a luxury rental in Hell’s Kitchen:
The nightlife
Pier 81, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Hudson Yards, the Theatre District and even Times Square if you really feel like playing tourist – Hell’s Kitchen has some of the city’s best spots to let off steam. NYC often forces residents to choose between amenities and vibrancy, where having a home with a washer and dryer often limits renters to life in a far-flung neighborhood that can feel like a bubble. A luxury rental in Hell’s Kitchen breaks all the rules, offering residents all the perks of a ‘quieter life’ with none of the lull.
The restaurants
West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues has long been known as ‘Restaurant Row,’ home to historic heavy hitters like Barbetta, Becco, Le Rivage and Joe Allen. Newer additions to the street offering everything from sushi to cabaret will leave you spoiled for choice before or after a show. Elsewhere in the area, a wide variety of exciting and eclectic dining options mean you can live in Hell’s Kitchen and eat there too.
The (lack of) commute
Hell’s Kitchen is a veritable alphabet soup when it comes to options for transportation. The A, B, C, D, 1, 7 and LIRR trains all have stops in Hell’s Kitchen, which is also home to Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where you can catch the cross-town S train straight to Grand Central.
The kids
Despite its name and high-energy vibe, Hell’s Kitchen is definitely kid-friendly. The neighborhood boasts above-average schools and easy access to Hudson River Park, Dewitt Clinton Park and Central Park. Plenty of museums nearby, including the Museum of Arts and Design, MOMA and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum mean you’ll actually be able to visit regularly with your kids, and they can grow up with the city as their playground.
The diversity
The ‘great American melting pot’ comes to mind when walking through Hell’s Kitchen, and not just because of the neighborhood’s name. A wide range of income levels, occupations and backgrounds can be found here, ensuring that a luxury rental in Hell’s Kitchen won’t equal monotony or isolation. NYC has always been defined by its diversity, so why not get the full experience by living in the heart of one of the city’s most varied neighborhoods?
The luxury Hell’s Kitchen apartments at 525 West 52nd Street boast a set of amenities that reads like a wish list. In addition to myriad on-site offerings, select partners provide top-tier services for a variety of needs, from manicures to dog walking to event planning.
Move
A standard-issue, residents’ gym is not what you’ll find at 525. Instead, a light-filled fitness center with a wide range of machines and free weights, plus a yoga studio featuring Peloton bikes, provide residents with plenty of ways to maintain their health and find balance. If cycling around the city is your preferred method of exercise, the bicycle room makes it easy to conveniently access and store your bike.
Play
The sports lounge features two billiards tables, flat screen TVs for watching your favorite games and two golf simulators by Full Swing Golf, with virtual lessons hosted by pros. On the landscaped, outdoor amenity deck, residents can play bocce ball or table tennis while they barbecue or picnic on real grass, and the rooftop sundeck and lounge are a welcome escape with river views. For rainy days or cozy nights, a 12-seat screening room and furnished library curated by The Strand Bookstore allow residents to kick back without leaving the building. Various experiential amenities expertly designed by LivunLtd, including private art tours and winery visits, are an easy way to make friends with neighbors and access exclusive experiences in and outside of the city.
Rest
Even luxury Hell’s Kitchen apartments don’t typically have exclusive day spas on site. 525 West 52nd residents are positively spoiled with the in-house Temple Concierge Spa, which offers a full range of services including signature facials, deep tissue or Swedish massages and a variety of manicures and pedicures. For residents who like to recharge with friends, the lounge and event space with catering kitchen are perfect for hosting dinner parties or participating in events with chefs and wine experts. Four-legged residents are looked after by the dedicated team at Throw Me a Bone, who make sure furry friends don’t miss out on the love, with services including grooming and dog walking as well as training and vet care.
With amenity spaces off limits, lifestyle directors and amenity-service companies are planning virtual classes, workshops and online meet-and-greets to fill the void amid coronavirus
Rents at 525 West 52nd Street, a Manhattan luxury building, range from $3,500 to $9,000 a month.
DOROTHY HONG FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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A Date Night dinner demo was in full swing one recent Friday at 525 West 52nd Street, a luxury rental building in Manhattan.
Peter Sheehan, resident experience manager for the 392-unit complex, where rents range from $3,500 to $9,000, greeted residents as they arrived. Then he introduced the head chef from a boutique cooking school who would be teaching them how to prepare handmade ravioli with brown butter and sage.
“We’re just trying to get people engaged and connected, and hopefully doing some good cooking,” said Mr. Sheehan, a 36-year-old former hotelier. “I’ve got my dough wrapped up and my wine is flowing.”
But unlike the many events Mr. Sheehan hosted in the building in the pre-Covid-19 past—whiskey tastings, poker nights, concerts by subway musicians—this Date Night was virtual. The chef, 35 residents and Mr. Sheehan were each in their own kitchens connecting via Zoom, the videoconferencing service.
Residents of 525 West 52nd Street in Manhattan pay a monthly fee to get access to events and activities. Peter Sheehan, resident experience manager, is preparing items for a virtual mixology class, minus the alcohol.
Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal
During the pandemic, the luxury rental complex moved its activities and classes online.
Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal
With the novel coronavirus and strict social-distancing mandates confining New York City residents to their apartments, Mr. Sheehan’s job—keeping his residents connected through a steady diet of events, activities and treats—has gotten a lot more challenging. When they are not planning virtual events, social directors like Mr. Sheehan have become a lifeline for stir-crazy renters, offering tips on which local stores have fresh fruit and short lines, and hooking up online activities for children.
“It helps them navigate trickier times, understanding that there are people here supporting them,” Mr. Sheehan said of the renters.
That Friday morning, he had set out white bags of neatly packaged ingredients in the lobby, tagged with the apartment numbers of residents who nabbed, free of charge, the 35 spots in the limited workshop. Before the lesson began, he checked in with Ken Connors, head chef of City Cooking West End, to make sure the chef’s webcams had good angles on his butcher block and stove.
Even before the pandemic, New York City’s luxury rental buildings had been going beyond fitness centers and plush lounges to offer ambitious lifestyle programs: monthly mixers, book clubs, baby boogie classes, and jaunts to museums and galleries.
For a developer with a high-price building to lease out, it was no longer enough to have a rooftop terrace, you had to have a stargazing party on that terrace with a guest astronomer and catered s’mores.
Although many developers work with amenity-service companies, others have installed in-house lifestyle directors like Mr. Sheehan—a hip reboot of Julie the cruise director from “The Love Boat,” with a bro beard.
“Peter has been the friendly face of the building, checking in just to say, ‘Hi’ or ‘Here’s something for the kids,’ or a [virtual] exercise class, or ‘If you’re feeling alone, here is counseling they’re offering [through a Zoom workshop],’ ” said Dean Loxton, 45, a filmmaker. He lives at 525 West 52nd Street with his husband and 18-month-old daughter, Maya, in a two-bedroom apartment they rent for $8,200 a month.
Although he has his own office in the building, Mr. Sheehan is employed by LIVunLtd, an “amenity space-management and activation” company that provides a range of services to about 200 residential buildings in New York City and New Jersey—64 of which have dedicated on-site coordinators.
Thea Wittich, left, co-founder of Axiom Amenities, with amenities associate Yamilex Chavez at 50 West, a Manhattan luxury rental building.
Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal
Since the pandemic hit, LIVunLtd has developed a roster of a la carte virtual events: live-streamed yoga and Pilates classes, workshops on perfume-blending and truffle-making, and online meet-and-greets with actors from shuttered Broadway shows such as “Wicked” and “Hamilton.”
Before the pandemic, 525 West 52nd Street’s developer, Taconic Partners, was spending $50,000 to $100,000 a year on amenities programming, according to Vice President Andrew Schwartz.
Residents of the building, which opened in 2017, get access to its club programs for a monthly fee of $85, since suspended. The building’s library, fitness center, golf simulator lounge and other amenity spaces have all closed, but Mr. Sheehan is still coming in several days a week.
In mid-March, Waterline Square, a three-tower complex on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with 916 rental apartments priced from $5,230 to $35,000, was days away from opening its Waterline Club: a 100,000-square-foot amenity space with an indoor tennis court, 30-foot rock-climbing wall, bowling alley and recording studio.
“We had a robust calendar of activities, with more than 25 events planned,” said Kelly Sullivan, lifestyle director for Waterline Square, which opened last September.
Kelly Sullivan, lifestyle director for Waterline Square, creates activities for residents of the luxury complex that target various age groups.
Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal
When the pandemic shut that down, Ms. Sullivan shifted gears. “We want to give people that sense of community they’re not getting,” she said.
She asked Waterline Club fitness instructors to begin streaming their classes live on the complex’s Instagram feed, clad in club-branded baseball caps and T-shirts. (She has since provided microphones and tripods to improve sound quality.)
Weekly online events targeted different ages. Children were invited to a Zoom puppet show; adults got a Cinco de Mayo mixology class and a virtual comedy night with local talent.
Brian Feinstein, 47, a composer who was in the midst of adapting the “The Bad News Bears” for Broadway when the pandemic hit, lives in a one-bedroom apartment at Waterline Square. He participated in the comedy night and a Zoom workshop on stress-reduction led by a psychology professor.
Ms. Sullivan boxes Champagne and flutes as gifts for new residents.
Dorothy Hong for The Wall Street Journal
“He spoke about meditation and how those of us who are carb-loading can be more mindful with food,” said Mr. Feinstein, who got his one-bedroom, ordinarily listed for about $8,250, at a reduced rate through the city’s affordable-housing lottery. “To have these events and be able to see them on the calendar is great. It gives a sense of structure.”
Other lifestyle directors are going beyond virtual events to provide some hands-on support for their residents.
“If we know they have a birthday coming up, we’ve been decorating residents’ doors with streamers and balloons,” said Thea Wittich, co-founder with her husband, Michael Wittich, 40, of Axiom Amenities. They oversee the amenities program at 50 West, a 186-unit tower in Manhattan’s Financial District.
“We’re doing one for a resident who is graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, in her school colors,” she said of the decorated doors.
Before the pandemic, Ms. Wittich, a 33-year-old former personal trainer, hosted three to five free events a month for 50 West residents, who pay between $6,200 and $65,000 a month for rental units (the building is roughly split between rentals and condos).
The building has a full-floor fitness center and an entertainment floor with its own theater, both of which are now closed. But its team of three full-time amenity staffers have remained on site throughout the pandemic.
“There is this vision that you lay off your amenity people in a pandemic, but they have responded to this in a very strong way,” said Seth Coston, director of residential operations for Time Equities, the developer of 50 West.
Along with setting up a Zoom schedule of boot camp and yoga classes, the couple put together home-fitness kits with yoga mats, rollers and bands, and then delivered them, free of charge, to any resident who wanted one.
They also started a weekly program for children, dropping off craft kits and snack packs outside residents’ doors. “We do educational packets with STEM activities. They can build things with Popsicle sticks. We try to make it time-consuming,” Ms. Wittich said, adding that a recent papier-mâché craft didn’t get many takers: “No one was up for that mess in their house.”
She also puts out a daily newsletter with recipes and brain-teasers.
“Whoever answered the most questions correctly won a salmon meal kit and we won. My husband and I are kind of geeky, so we’re looking forward to the next one,” said Stephanie Sun, 36, an e-commerce manager for Walmart who lives with her husband and 3-year-old daughter in a two-bedroom apartment they bought in 2017, for a price she didn’t disclose. Comparable rental apartments at 50 West cost about $13,000 a month.
Thea and Michael Wittich themselves live in a building with no amenities three blocks from a city hospital.
“We are very fortunate. A lot of people are very sick,” Ms. Wittich said. “It has been wonderful for us to take [our] creativity and fine-tune it so people don’t feel alone.”
The Ultimate Amenity: Connecting with Nature in an Urban Setting
Outdoor spaces have become more coveted than ever before, and developers are taking note
Green space at 525 West 52nd St., a luxury apartment building in New York City.
COURTESY OF 525 WEST 52ND ST.
Numerous studies link spending time outdoors and in nature with improved mental and physical health. Yet, with more than 80% of Americans living in urban areas, finding a place to connect with the sky, the sun and greenery can be challenging. Landscaped rooftops, living walls, tranquil gardens and atriums are increasingly popular ways for developers to create room for nature in urban buildings. Those spaces became even more highly prized when stay-at-home guidelines were implemented and city residents were less able to escape to parks, beaches and vacation destinations.
“A connection to nature is vital to everyone’s health and wellbeing,” said Randy Shortridge, cofounder of [au]workshop and architect ofThe Residences at Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu. “People need sunlight and value the long view, the ability to see the horizon. Landscaping stimulates all the senses, too.”
A reflecting pool in an apartment at the Residences at Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu.
The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Honolulu
At the Residences at Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu, the 21-floor residential lobby will mostly be open air, although it can be closed during a storm, Mr. Shortridge said. The residences, which are anticipated to be ready for residents by mid-2023, are priced from $2 million to $35 million. Each condo has private outdoor space in addition to the shared rooftop.
“The rooftop garden has been designed so that the boundary between indoor and outdoor space dissolves,” he said. “The sky garden cantilevers out from the tower towards the setting sun and the reflecting pool faces the sunset.”
Green space and natural light are vital, especially in urban areas like New York City, said Andrew Schwartz, vice president of Taconic Partners, developer of luxury apartments at 525 W. 52 St. and 311 W. 42 St in Manhattan.
Courtesy of 525 West 52nd St.
“We live in a concrete jungle and when people are paying top dollar to live somewhere, they expect to have access to some outdoor space,” Mr. Schwartz said.
At 525, nature is evident in the lobby, where an atrium open to the sky includes a garden and water feature.
“Residents can look out at the rain or snow or sunlight on their way to the elevator,” Mr. Schwartz said. “At 525 we also have a landscaped outdoor deck in the middle of the building with seating and outdoor games. We’ll have something similar at 42 St. but it will be more like a secret garden design with pathways and quiet spaces.”
Both buildings will have rooftop decks for looking at the view and sunbathing. Rents at 525 range from $3,643 for a studio to $6,386 for a two-bedroom apartment. Some apartments also have private balconies.
“Several of my international projects exemplify my core design philosophy, known as ‘Shanshui City,’ which is the idea that humans and nature should be more emotionally connected, especially in high-density cities,” said Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects in Beijing and Los Angeles and the architect of Gardenhouse in Beverly Hills, California. “The vision for Gardenhouse is to provide inhabitants with the conveniences of modern city living while offering them a place where they can live in harmony with nature.”
Mr. Yansong was inspired by the natural beauty of the Hollywood hills and Beverly Hills.
Courtyard garden of the Gardenhouse in Beverly Hills, California.
Palisades
“We designed a ‘green hill’ wrapped in a living wall that connects with its surroundings that has become an essential part of the architectural design,” he said. “Gardenhouse features the largest living wall in the U.S. The vertical living wall wraps around ‘the hill’ and includes drought-tolerant succulents and vines that are native to the area. The windows of each dwelling open up onto the living green wall, giving residents the feeling that they are living in a hillside village rather than a metropolitan city.”
The residences in the Gardenhouse, which include one-level condos, two-story penthouses and a trio of row houses, are priced from $3.7 million. Residents are anticipated to move into the Gardenhouse in summer 2020.
Evolving Approach to Green Space in Residential Developments
Seamless indoor-outdoor living connected with walls of glass, flush surfaces and similar materials have been popular for years, but until recently, those spaces were usually only available in single-family homes, said Mark Schwettmann, a director at Skidmore Owings & Merrill, the architect for One Steuart Lane, a waterfront condo in San Francisco that is anticipated to be complete in early 2021.
“Advances in structural design, materials, building codes and enclosure design have enabled high rises to offer spacious outdoor space that fulfills this same desire of living inside and outside at once,” Mr. Schwettmann said. “At One Steuart Lane, we have indoor-outdoor great rooms with a fully operable glass facade, creating over 2,000 square feet” of indoor-outdoor living.
At One Steuart Lane, when the glass walls are open, the great rooms in each condo will have more than 2,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor living space.
The indoor-outdoor living space at One Steuart Lane, a luxury condo development in San Francisco.
Binyan Studios
The building’s 40-foot wraparound terraces will be divided by freestanding living walls that create privacy and vertical gardens, Mr. Schwettmann said. The building itself has a minimalist design to serve as a frame for the expansive views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.
“The residences at One Steuart Lane draw from a singular inspiration: the bay’s waterfront,” said John Pallante, managing director of Polaris Pacific, the sales and marketing team for One Steuart Lane. “Each residence was meticulously and thoughtfully designed to optimize its unrivaled location and deliver a premier indoor/outdoor high-rise living experience. The living walls are a natural connection between the city and nature.”
The 120 condos at One Steuart Lane are priced from $1.6 million. A communal terrace on the second level of the 20-story tower will provide additional greenery as well as unobstructed views of the bay and the bridge.
In Beverly Hills, the Gardenhouse design provides green space for residents and serves as a new landmark of greenery along Wilshire Boulelvard.
“The interior courtyard is a hidden gem of lush garden that also weaves itself between the residences,” Mr. Yansong said. “Recycled water will be used to keep the living wall plants and greenery lush, while also acting as a cooling system that maintains comfortable interior temperatures.”
The Gardenhouse includes a ground-level water feature.
“Providing a visual and auditory experience for inhabitants, the water feature can be accessed by residents,” Mr. Yansong said. “It transports them away from the city and into a green, calm and tranquil atmosphere.”
Even just a few years ago landscape design was more sterile and meant to cover things up or to look at from a distance, Mr. Shortridge said.
“Today, we view outdoor space as an opportunity to relax, to sit in the shade and enjoy dappled light,” he said. “At the Mandarin Oriental, every condo has glass walls that open onto a lanai, so every resident has private space as well as shared green space on the roof.”
Challenges of Designing Outdoor Space in Urban Environments
At each of these developments, extensive outdoor space constrains the number of residences and carries added cost.
“It’s not out of the question for developers to spend up to $1 million on landscaping installation at new properties and over $100,000 on landscaping design fees,” Mr. Schwartz said. “Ongoing maintenance can range anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 annually depending on the landscaping type and quantity.”
On the other hand, those green amenities mean that renters and buyers are willing to pay higher prices.
Exterior view of the Gardenhouse in Beverly Hills, California.
Palisades
“The challenge of incorporating green space in urban development is always the long-term care required to ensure the landscape is healthy and thrives in a dense vertical high rise,” Mr. Pallante said.
In Hawaii, plants grow vigorously and don’t have a resting period as they do in other climates, so it is even more important to choose plants that can be pruned yet look natural, said Mr. Shortridge.
Such careful planning for green amenities results in a more tranquil home environment for residents, even in a city environment.
When 8.5 million people live in 300 square miles, outdoor space to relax and breathe fresh air can be hard to find. To help fix this problem, more New York City property owners, who typically look upward for expansion opportunities, are converting residential rooftops into luxurious courtyards, experts said.
Their value is proved by numbers, noted Citi Habitats broker Josh Sarnell: A roof deck can add $150 to $300 to a base rent or $50,000 to $100,000 to a sales deal, he said.
The open-air amenities offer the immediacy that New Yorkers, who have their groceries delivered and Uber to the movies, famously crave. They can feature everything from swimming pools to vegetable gardens and barbecue areas, but perhaps their most popular features are the parties and other gatherings buildings host on them, Sarnell added.
He has represented numerous properties with access to verandas in the sky. Instead of trekking to parks or meeting friends at bars, “a lot of younger people like to have events planned for them,” he explained. “It’s a shift from staying in your apartment to community living.”
In the spirit of summer, here’s a look at some of the most lavish roof decks built into the New York City skyline:
The building’s heated 20-by-40-foot pool sits 21 stories into the sky.
“There’s something beautiful about being on a New York City roof in a pool,” One Museum Mile resident Kim Soderstrom said dreamily. She lives in a two-bed, two-and-a-half-bath in the Carnegie Hill condo with her husband and their pet rabbit. The building’s heated 20-by-40-foot lagoon, which sits 21 stories into the sky, is an oasis for residents.
“We don’t have any tall buildings south of us and so when you’re in the swimming pool floating on your back you just see the sky and it’s amazing,” said Soderstrom, a children’s book writer who’s loved to swim since childhood. Her building’s 1,570-square-foot roof deck provides full views of Central Park and the city’s bridges, an outdoor kitchen and grills, and showers and lockers.
One Museum Mile gives full views of Central Park and the city’s bridges.
Soderstrom’s husband is an attorney and works long hours, so the couple is happy to avoid spending time in traffic to get to the beach. “We feel like we’ve gotten away for the weekend and all we had to do was go to the roof,” she said. “It’s an elevator ride away and it’s a completely different world.”
Above the 16th floor of the building, tenants can picnic on real grass.
Above the 16th floor at 525 W. 52nd St., residents can picnic on real grass or head through a garage door-style entrance to a private party room where luxury service brand LIVunLtd hosts events like wine tastings and barbecues. Resident Kyle Wilkinson and his wife, whose firm designed the 3,000-square-foot roof deck’s plantings, moved into a one-bed, one-bath rental in November 2017 and their daughter followed them into the building this spring. Though she and other younger tenants like to lounge on cabana chairs in the unblocked sunlight, Wilkinson said he prefers the shaded areas, where he works as a data science consultant or takes time to think.
Outdoor amenities are “a dimension adding to your well-being and happiness,” 525 resident Kyle Wilkinson said.
“Every once in a while I just go up there and actually just sit and look at the river,” Wilkinson said. “[A roof deck] is a dimension adding to your well-being and happiness,” he added. “You know you can go up there and that means a lot.”
Tenants in 555TEN can take a dip in a 15-by-43-foot saltwater plunge pool.
To cool off on warm days, tenants in 555TEN can take a dip in a 15-by-43-foot saltwater plunge pool 56 stories above the city street. The Hell’s Kitchen building’s 7,151-square-foot roof also has an all-seasons clubhouse and chaise lounges, along with private cabanas. The deck provides a reprieve from the busy city, resident Andrew Ackerman said. “New York is hectic and there’s lots of cars and buses and honking and people, and we’re not that close to Central Park,” resident Andrew Ackerman said. “A roof deck is your own little relaxation area where you can lie in the sun, read a book and just get away from all the hectic pushing and shoving and noise [in the city].”
The building’s 7,151-square-foot roof also has an all-seasons clubhouse.Ackerman, who is enjoying his retirement in a 500-square-foot loft in the rental building, added that he enjoys the roof year-round since the pool is heated and the event space has a fireplace for winter.
The seventh-story deck atop Extell Development’s new EVGB is a whopping 19,000 square feet.
Spanning 19,000 square feet, the seventh-story deck atop Extell Development‘s new EVGB (short for the East Village’s Greatest Building) “just doesn’t feel overcrowded,” said Dr. Jamie Royal. And if that isn’t enough outdoor space, its second-floor terrace is divided by fencing to give its units a private garden, so Royal’s two-bed, two-bath rental has a backyard. The rooftop amenity, meanwhile, features grills and fire pits, a bocce court and putting green, a screening area, garden plots and an outdoor shower.
Though Royal currently spends time up there with her husband and two kids, she intends to use it to entertain colleagues who give referrals to her orthodontist practice. “The views are insane and if I can bring a couple doctors up there and have drinks one night it’s a cool, different thing to do,” she said.
Residents can cool off in a 70-foot saltwater pool.
Across the river in Long Island City, ARC’s 70-foot saltwater pool, bocce courts and grilling areas are “the perfect trifecta of stuff,” said resident Andrew Haynes. He recalled a work-from-home day when he used the roof as his office space. “Being able to sit by the pool and check some emails and jump in to cool off, it kind of felt like I was in Miami,” he said.
The development takes outdoor space seriously – residents also have access to a half-acre courtyard and a greenhouse for gardening. The eleventh-story rooftop, meanwhile, provides unblocked views of Manhattan thanks to its location in western Queens. Haynes, who lives in a one-bed, one-bath rental with his wife and their dog, added that being in an outer-borough is kind to their budget too: “Having those things and not having it cost an arm and a leg is awesome.”
Update: This article originally included a deck in the Gateway complex in Battery Park City, which is on the fourth floor of the building.
City living is a blast, no doubt, but in a metropolis of 8 million, having fun can sometimes be a grind. Want to grab a cocktail? Buy some vegetables? Get a blowout?
Sounds great, but you better be ready to fight it out in line with the rest of the animals.
Unless, of course, you live in a place where you can go out while staying in.
From a bar to an on-site farm to a hair salon, new real estate developments across the five boroughs (and in Jersey, too) are amping up their amenities to include experiences that once required a trek outside. And, because nothing makes a nice thing nicer than a whiff of exclusivity, many of these perks are strictly residents-only.
Take, for instance, 571-unit Staten Island Urby (rents from $1,890 to $2,900), which offers “farm-to-apartment” dining. The development near the ferry stop in St. George has a 5,000-square-foot farm along with an apiary run by husband-and-wife team Asher Landes and Zaro Bates. He keeps the bees, she handles the farm.
The building’s harvest isn’t exclusive to residents — the couple sells to local chefs and through a CSA — but renters can request particular foods for planting, Landes says. Just try that at your local Gristedes.
About half of the CSA’s 45 members are building residents. Among the crops offered are salad greens, root vegetables, tomatoes and squash, Bates says. Full shares cost $22.50 a week ($450 for the season) and half shares are $12.50 ($250 for the season).
Then there’s Rockpoint Group and Brooksville Company’s 807-unit 63 Wall St. (rents from $2,635 to $6,686), where management has converted offices in the former headquarters of bank Brown Brothers Harriman & Company to an on-site bar dubbed a “speakeasy.”
63 Wall St. is about to debut a glitzy bar exclusively for residents and their guests.Brian Zak/NY Post
Decked out in grand Roaring ’20s style with wood paneling, chandeliers and a custom brass-and-marble bar, the spot, which officially opens next month, is ideal for unwinding with an adult beverage and some light snacks. But to knock one back, you’ll need to live in the Financial District building — or at least know someone who does.
The bar, serving beer from $5 and cocktails from $12, is open to 63 Wall residents and their guests only.
“It’s like a private club,” says David Sorise, a senior vice president with Pinnacle City Living, which manages the building. “People are really interested in having a place that’s private, where they can gather with their friends and other residents in a kind of closed environment.”
Across the Hudson, tenants of KRE Group’s Jersey City rental building Journal Squared (from $2,149 to $3,551) are treated to similarly exclusive entertainment. The building has partnered with the company Basecamp, which arranges lodging for traveling musical acts. In exchange for playing free shows for residents (and up to four guests), bands get to crash, gratis, in a Journal Squared apartment during the NYC leg of their tours.
Journal Squared in Jersey City gives musical acts (like Mikky Ekko, seen here) free housing in exchange for intimate concerts.Alyssa Ki
Since the program started in December of last year, Journal Squared has hosted six concerts by acts including Mikky Ekko (featured on Rihanna’s 2013 single “Stay”) and Anthony Russo (whose song “California” generated some buzz last year). The shows typically draw crowds of 150 to 200 people, says Amanda Vittitoe, director of marketing at KRE. Not bad for a 538-unit building.
The shows also give residents a chance to dip their toes in the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
“You get to hang out with the band, see them perform, and then they kind of chill out [with residents] afterwards,” Vittitoe adds. “You can be like a groupie.”
Sounds like more fun than an in-building business center.
At 445-414 Gerard Ave. in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, Treetop Management is building a 416-unit rental complex (monthly prices not yet available) that will include a professional-grade audio and video production space as well as a podcast studio — all intended to target a younger, creative demographic, says Bond New York’s Douglas Wagner, who represents the development.
Stefano Giovannini
Do these out-of-the-box features truly lure tenants and buyers? Probably not, says Andrew Witzke, 28, a renter at Taconic Investment Partners’ 392-unit building 525 W. 52nd St. That said, they’re certainly fun. He and his fiancée Shaylyn Harper, 27, are big fans of the development’s various experiential amenities, which have included private tours of the Hudson Valley’s Storm King Art Center and Benmarl Winery.
The couple moved to Manhattan last year from Boston, and found the outings “a very easy way to make friends and meet people and start to recognize faces around the building,” says Witzke, who works in management consulting. “It wasn’t material to our decision [to rent at 525 W. 52nd St.], but it’s a really nice benefit we’ve gotten a lot of value out of.”
A self-professed golf nut, Witzke adds he particularly likes the golf simulator, which has hosted lessons from pros. A $75-a-month fee covers building events as well as access to common areas like the rooftop lounge (the website lists availabilities from $3,909).
Celebrity chef Charlie Palmer is offering menu planning and VIP reservations to 70 Charlton St. owners.Jakob Dahlin
Another really nice benefit: Having a James Beard Award-winner whip up a menu for your dinner party. Owners at Extell Development’s 92-unit Hudson Square condop (a building that consists, typically for tax purposes, of a condo subdivided into cooperative shares) 70 Charlton St. enjoy exclusive access to celebrity chef Charlie Palmer for services like menu planning and wine collection curation (prices depend on the size of the job). Residents also get bonuses like VIP reservations and kitchen tours at Palmer’s restaurants around the country.
Among the buyers at 70 Charlton is farm-to-table evangelist Palmer himself, so neighbors might also hobnob with the chief informally. “These are the type of people who are going to Charlie’s restaurants, who want that experience of going back to the kitchen for a tour and want to go to different curated dinners,” says Elysa Goldman, vice president of development at Extell.
More mundane perks also benefit from the glow of exclusivity. Sure, a person can go shopping at BCBG anytime they want (online even!), but that’s clearly not as much fun as getting the run of the place on your own, as recently happened for renters at real estate firm Instrata’s Nomad and Gramercy developments. The brand’s 168 Fifth Ave. location was open for two hours exclusively to residents of the two buildings, who could take advantage of a little extra elbow room as well as special discounts, says Neeta Mulgaokar, a broker with Mirador Real Estate who helped set up the event. (There was no cost for admission.)
111 Murray St. is getting a Drybar salon.Redundant Pixel
Meanwhile, 111 Murray St., the 157-unit Tribeca condo tower from developers Fisher Brothers, Witkoff and New Valley (prices from $4.3 million to $40 million), will have a residents-only Drybar salon, where services will cost the same as the chain’s other locations (from $45 in New York).
“When you go to these kinds of places, you have to deal with a lot of crowds of people. You have to deal with waiting times. There’s not a ton of privacy. And it’s definitely not as convenient,” says Lauren Witkoff, executive vice president at Witkoff. “This takes a luxury that [residents] would normally have to go outside their home for and gives them the convenience and privacy of having it right in the building.”
A year ago, when Frederik Fredsted Christiansen was sent from his native Copenhagen to New York for work, his company set him up above one of its stores.
Mr. Christiansen, 29, is president of United States operations for Joe & The Juice, a Danish chain serving coffee, smoothies and sandwiches, and he oversees the company’s 23 retail stores here, 13 of them — soon to be 16 — in New York.
His tiny studio on Prince Street had two windows and was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Also, “there was a wall two meters from the window,” he said, “so there was no sunlight.”
Mr. Christiansen’s studio gets lots of sunlight — his main priority.CreditStefano Ukmar for The New York Times
In Copenhagen, “we have big apartments for reasonable money, and we have windows where sunlight is coming in,” said Mr. Christiansen, who at one point managed his company’s largest store, at Copenhagen Airport. “It was really weird for me,” he added, that “I never saw the sun.”
He was surprised, too, by how old-fashioned some things were in New York. To pay his rent, for example, he had to write a check, whereas in Denmark, he said, “you pay everything on the internet or transfer via your bank on your mobile app.”
For six months, the company paid Mr. Christiansen’s monthly rent of $2,300. Once he assumed the payments, he became increasingly eager to move.
The apartment is in a brand-new building
With a budget of about $3,000 a month — and sunlight his primary requirement — he began looking for an apartment somewhere around Midtown. In early summer, using StreetEasy, he found a newly renovated one-bedroom with a private roof deck in Hell’s Kitchen, for $3,000 a month. He was ready to sign on.
Then the agent asked if he had credit.
Mr. Christiansen didn’t know what that was. “It hit me that this is going to be harder than I thought,” he said. He had a debit card, but as a newcomer, no credit history in the United States.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have in your account,” he said. “If you don’t have credit, you can’t get the apartment.”
HELL’S KITCHEN The private roof deck was appealing, but Mr. Christiansen’s lack of credit in the United States was an obstacle.
Still, he told himself, “it’s impossible it’s like that everywhere,” and continued his search.
He soon found a large studio with an even larger terrace in a 2009 boutique condo building in Midtown. The terrace, however, was in the shadow of surrounding buildings. And because of the placement of the apartment’s doors, windows and kitchen, there was little wall space. A narrow hallway, described as a dressing area, seemed useless.
It was easy to pass on the apartment, which was $2,500 a month.
Next, Mr. Christiansen found the website for a new building in Hell’s Kitchen, 525 West 52nd Street. He informed the leasing associate, Andrés Pellot-Ramos, of his desire for natural light, and Mr. Pellot-Ramos showed him three studios. The view from the first two, on lower floors, was partly blocked, but the third unit was higher up.
“He planned it,” Mr. Christiansen said. “Suddenly, I could see the whole city, and I knew right away.”
MIDTOWN The apartment had a large terrace, but it was in the shadow of surrounding buildings.
He also knew that in a brand-new building he wouldn’t have to worry about the heat, the cold or anything else.
“I said, ‘I am going to take this,’” Mr. Christiansen recalled. “And Andrés said, ‘Do you have credit?’”
Since he did not, the building connected him with TheGuarantors, a service that guarantees leases for renters who don’t meet rental requirements, like having a United States credit history or an annual income that meets the building’s requirement (in this building, 40 times the monthly rent). The company has a sliding fee scale, but typically charges around 80 percent of a month’s rent.
HELL’S KITCHEN The studio was in a new building and had a view. Best of all, it was sunny.
“I really wanted this apartment and was scared it would slip through my fingers,” Mr. Christiansen said. He was relieved to be approved quickly by TheGuarantors.
Mr. Christiansen’s rent is now $3,390 a month, and he received three months free on a two-year lease. (The building is currently offering two months free on a 14-month lease.)
He arrived in the summer, bought new furniture and adopted a dog, Vera. “I am going to stay here for a long time, and it is time to make it feel like a home,” he said. He has plenty of closet space and a stacked washer-dryer.
During his first few weeks, he said, he was awakened by heavy construction at 7 a.m., but now it is not as early or as loud, though work continues on the building’s interior.
Cellphone reception is spotty, he said, but apart from that, “everything works” in the building. And he doesn’t have to write a rent check — tenants have the option of paying online with ClickPay.
One building amenity, a screening room, was especially welcome. “I take my computer to the cinema screen and watch my little brother play on Danish television,” said Mr. Christiansen, whose brother is a professional soccer player. “It is like being in the stadium myself.”
He is used to luxuries like that in hotels, he said, “but not in buildings where normal people live.”
Best of all, he keeps his blinds open at night and awakens to the sunrise. “It’s nice to walk around an apartment where you don’t have to have your lamps on all the time,” he said. “It makes you happier.”
