News
Residential Revelry
June 24, 2010
 |
| Did someone declare this Residential Building Launch Week and not tell us? A slew of buildings are celebrating this week, including 58 Metropolitan in Williamsburg and MODA in Jamaica. Last night, we stopped at two others-400 Fifth Avenue's The Setai luxury hotel and condos and downtown Brooklyn's The Brooklyner. We snapped The Clarett Group's Ronnie Hackett and Equity Residential's Mark Tennison at The Brooklyner, known as "The Beach" for its sun-soaked rooftop with unobstructed city and water views (to complete the vibe, it includes plenty of lounge chairs, beachy landscaping, and an outdoor shower.) And no oil, unless you count SPF-35. |
 |
| The Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects-designed, 51-story building is now Brooklyn's tallest. It has 491 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, which are 60% leased, Ronne says. They didn't want just another ordinary high-rise, she says-it needed personality and character. Features include "The Lodge" with a bar, private dining room, screening room, billiards, and skee ball. There's a gym with a private yoga studio. Plus, "The Backyard" is an outdoor space inspired by classic beer gardens. And a 51th-floor lounge with a wet bar and catering kitchen. There's also a 24-hour concierge, lobby coffee bar, and grocery storage. (We're not sure you'd ever have to leave the building.) |
 |
| A view from the tallest rooftop in Brooklyn. |
 |
| We also dropped by Bizzi & Partners Development's new East 59th Street offices, where we met The Setai architect-Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects' Bob Siegel and Bizzi Partners' Giuseppe Rossi. They tell us the 60-story building's exterior is finally complete. The developer is now working on the finishes and interiors for the hotel's November opening and the residential condos' year-end move-in. The hotel, to be managed by Capella Hotels and Resorts, will include 157 guestrooms and 57 hotel/suite apartments, a grand lobby, restaurant, bars, spa, and health club. The 190 condos take up the top half of the building, starting from the 31st floor, and include one-, two- and three- bedroom residences from 779 to 3.6k SF, ranging from $1.6M to $14M for one of the penthouses. |
 |
| The Setai is unlike many of the new residential buildings coming to market. Although contemporary, the design brought in many historical elements so the building fit in more comfortably with other properties in the neighborhood, including the Empire State Building, Bob says. This included a historical reinterpretation of the building's limestone base (pictured), which includes three separate "zones" topped with a cornice, like other nearby buildings. |
