Second Chance at a First Impression at Columbus Village

May is typically the start of the summer blockbuster season, and apparently that doesn't only apply to the big screen. May is also becoming a month of blockbuster rental building releases, with the debut of the Far West Side's Silver Towers (and its slightly terrifying playground) and the Upper West Side's now-officially-revealed Columbus Square. Columbus Square? Yep, that's the new name for Columbus Village, the mixed-use megaproject on the Columbus Avenue superblock between 97th and 100th Streets that features over 700 apartments and a Whole Foods, among other bells and whistles. Back in March, some mysterious listings and renderings popped up online for the development's biggest building, 808 Columbus Avenue. Also in March, besides 808 and a mid-rise residential building over on Amsterdam Avenue, Columbus Village Square looked pretty much stalled. Now: not so!

Today the Observer wonders what's up with the project, and a spokesperson tells the paper move-ins will occur by Memorial Day. Also, "a press release with pricing and availability details would be available in two weeks." But the Internet is great at ruining secrets, and a tipster points us to the new Columbus Square website, with pricing, floorplans and renderings galore. In March, those mystery listings indicated prices would be $1,857/month for studios, $2,919 for 1BRs and $4,227 for 2BRs. According to the official site, those prices weren't too far off. We're looking at $1,895 for studios, $2,795 for 1BRs and $3,850 for 2BRs. Additionally, 3BRs can be had starting at $8,950, and 4BRs are "coming soon."

Not surprisingly, 808 Columbus Avenue and 801 Amsterdam Avenue are the only two Columbus Square buildings listed as ready for residents. However, as seen in the gallery above, the three connected residential buildings across the street from 808 Columbus Avenue?the ones still in construction infancy?are still very much part of the plans. So what's with the new name? Well, the shape thing worked out well for Columbus Circle, so maybe the developers want some of that luck to rub off. We're sure there's a square-shaped thing somewhere in the area.
· Columbus Square [Official Site]
· Building Stories: La Vie Boheme! Are Rentals the New Condos? [NYO]
· Columbus Village coverage [Curbed]