Telecom mogul Michael Hirtenstein is a developer's dream. Jay-Z's former landlord was puttering down Ericsson Place in Tribeca when he stumbled upon some renderings in the window of the sales office for architect Enrique Norton's One York. Hirtenstein knew he had to have the apartment pictured, with its double-height ceilings, glass walls and swimming pool. The only problem was that the renderings were of different apartments. No matter, the Post reports, Hirtenstein then began buying up whatever it took to realize his vision: he purchased 3.5 units in all, with over 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. What followed was like the scene in Cinderella where all the animals scurry around and help her get ready for the ball, except replace the animals with architects and interior designers, and replace Cinderella's impoverished state with a $30 million budget. But something seems very familiar?and dare we say, unoriginal?about the big design revelation.
Norton came up with this master plan for Hirtenstein's dreampad:
Because the entire apartment will be enclosed in glass, Norten opted to place all of the "services" (bathrooms, closets, etc.) in the center of the apartment in order not to inhibit the movement of light. "We decided we would make it as open and flexible as possible. We'd concentrate that core of services in the middle and obscure or hide them all," says Norten. "It's literally a super-huge closet; everything goes in there."
This "super-huge closet," basically a rectangle in the center of the seventh floor, will contain the master bath and dressing room, two mini-bars, two powder rooms, the kitchen, coat closet and more. And all the living spaces (living room, billiards room, media room, bedrooms, etc.) will flow around it.
So after all the meetings, sketches, blueprints and money spent, Michael Hirtenstein is getting a fancier version of a Jade Jagger pod? For some reason we're a little disappointed.
· Fantasy Land [NYP]
· Floorplan Porn: One York Penthouse [Curbed]
· One York [oneyorkny.com]