Last week we found out that the $10 apartments in the new Jupiter 21 development at the corner of Second Avenue and 1st Street?granted to residents of the former Mars Bar building on the same site, which rose above the storied after-hours dive, through an agreement with the developer of the new project?were move-in ready. Now, thanks to Gothamist, we get to see what they look like on the inside.
The verdict: they're a little on the small side, but that's par for the course, at least in the East Village of yore. Gothamist got a sneak peek of a studio and a one-bedroom, which look bright and cozy with clean white walls, big windows, and new appliances including washer/dryers. Residents can also access building amenities, like a garden, rooftop terrace, and wet bar. Did we mention that these units were purchased by the old Mars Bar building tenants for only $10? And tax-free? Meanwhile, market-rate apartments will go for $3,000 to $10,000/month. Sure, the tenants had to move out of their old apartments to make way for this development, but it seems that they and developer Donald Capoccia of BFC Partners were, somewhat surprisingly, on the same drama-free page and worked together (gasp!) when it came to building their replacement residences.
Tenants wanted to buy their building at 21 East 1st Street when it went up for sale, but couldn't afford it, and reached out to Capoccia and co. for a collaboration. Instead of constructing new units on top of the existing Mars Bar building, Capoccia was able to buy nearby air rights, strike a bargain with the current tenants that led to the $10 apartments you see here, and with affordable housing as part of the plan thus create a whole new modern, lucrative structure on the footprint of a neighborhood institution. Yet the tenants are the opposite of upset. "I am grateful they didn't give us lowlifes apartments in the back," one relocated tenant told the Journal last week. "I feel hugely entitled to this luxury apartment, but I feel completely unworthy of it at the same time."
· Photos: Inside The $10 East Village Apartments [Gothamist]
· Old Mars Bar Building Tenants Finally Get $10 Apartments [Curbed]
· Jupiter 21 coverage [Curbed]
· Mars Bar coverage [Curbed]
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