305W16 Pops Wood Next to Google, Robert Moses

We've given a fair amount of blog inches to the Chelsea Death Star 305 West 16th Street, but what better time to show the gussied-up units now that there are residents on the premises? Broker Maggie Kent from CORE tells us that ten residents have moved in (those with cash deals) and the building is 55% sold. One of two 3-bedroom units was just put on the market as well: welcome to the dancefloor, #6D! It's up for $2.4 million and features a 991-square-foot wraparound terrace, close enough to across-the-street neighbor Google to steal a four bar WiFi connection. Or so we hear.

The whole building, from the foyer kitted out with decorative wood panels to the enclosed walnut entry hallway to bamboo flooring to wenge wood kitchen cabinets to the driftwood gracing the mailroom, hints at a pastoral side that softens the black-box exterior.

We went up to the roof to check out the deck space and that trippy, 35-foot mosaic flower vase, which owner and art enthusiast Harlan Berger first spotted at Burning Man. It did not disappoint, and the rooftop views are nice and huge, though we're still wondering who pays millions for a luxury apartment to hang out on a communal terrace. The metal screens hiding mechanical fixtures are water-jet-cut steel (who knew?) in a forest pattern, reinforcing the building's woody vibes. The second floor apartments on the western side of the building, overlooking one of Manhattan's five Moses-era model playgrounds, have private patios that are roomy and shaded with a (real) tree canopy, though Astroturf-ed. And again, mechanical ducts are hidden by a lot of ornamental metal screens.
· Official site: 305 West 16th [305w16.com]
· Chelsea Death Star coverage [Curbed]