We have some experience with trying to figure out what is coming to 57-59 Irving Place, which used to be the parking garage seen on the left side of that picture up there, but the design that made the rounds was outdated. Since then, classy old Irving Place has been holding its breath, wondering what its brush with modernism will look like. Well, now we know. The Times revealed the new 11-story 57 Irving Place over the weekend, and it's a blockbuster: nine floor-through units with 3-5 bedrooms, and a triplex maisonette with a garage and saltwater pool. It's not clear to us why someone would want a saltwater pool, but with prices expected to range from $6.75 million to $18 million, we're not exactly the demo, anyway. And here's a nice perk: buyers will have access to Gramercy Park. Hey, wait a second, the building isn't even on Gramercy Park, so how is Mayor Arlene permitting them to score the sought-after keys?
To get access to the park, buyers will have to become members of the Players Club, which faces the park and controls a pair of keys. The only problem is that acceptance into the club requires a letter of reference from a member, so what if the 57 Irving Place buyer has no connections? No worries, because one of the new members, Robert Gladstone, happens to be the developer of 57 Irving Place, and he'll also be living in the building's penthouse. And guess what? He's covering the annual Players Club dues of his new neighbors for five years. How generous! But how does the Players Club feel about being whored out as the middleman for a condo amenity? Pretty good: the executive director "fully expects" 57 Irving's residents to be accepted into the club.
· Keys to a Condo, and Gramercy Park [NYT]
· Please Join Us in Welcoming Irving Place to 2008 [Curbed]
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