The eagerly anticipated Alchemy Properties condo conversion of the top floors of the historic Woolworth Building is nearing closer to a sales launch, and in the meantime, the Times reveals the first renderings of the interiors and a few amenities. Above, what the reconstructed 55-foot-long pool in the basementlong abandonedwill look like, with a sauna, hot tub, and, crucially, tiles by Bisazza Mosaico. As the sales office readies to open, the model apartment has "prewar proportions, dark herringbone floors and marble-clad bathrooms." Designed by Thierry Despont, the 34 apartments of the Woolworth Residences will start at $3.875 million (floorplans!) and asking prices climb skyward, culminating in a whopping $110 million for the seven-level penthouse, a.k.a. "The Castle in the Sky."
The $3.9 million "cheapest" offering is a one-bedroom, while two-bedrooms start at $7.25 million, three-bedrooms from $9.575 million. There are also two "pavilion" apartments, which both have giant private terraces and will ask more than $20M each. Alchemy Properties president Kenneth Horn told the Times that several contracts have already been signed, with more pending, even thought the apartments haven't yet hit the market formally and the sales office isn't open yet.
In the lobby, rendered above, "W"s are emblazoned all over the place, including on doorknobs and kitchen backsplashes, modeled after ornamentation on the original elevators in the office building's gorgeous, vaulted lobby. The 34 residences will have an entrance on Park Place, separate from the main on at 233 Broadway. Besides marble floors and maple walls, the residents' lobby will feature the "ornate coffered ceiling that originally decorated F. W. Woolworth's personal office," which "is being restored, reinforced and relocated from the 40th floor to the new lobby."
About that basement swimming pool: it was originally commissioned by Woolworth and remained a staple of city lore for years. At first Despont didn't want to restore it, but ended up agreeing at Horn's insistence, in exchange for adding wine cellars for residents that have custom millwork and will be kept at 55 degrees. An amenity space called the Gilbert Lounge, after the original architect Cass Gilbert, includes a pantry for catering and party-hosting, and there's also a gym.
Said Horn, about all the design details of the conversion: "As opposed to many new buildings where you get a white box, we very much wanted people to know 'I am living in the Woolworth Building.'"
· Luxury Condos in the Woolworth Building [NYT]
· Sneak a Peek at the Woolworth Building's Secret Pool [Curbed]
· Floorplans Unveiled For Woolworth Building's 'Cheap' Condos [Curbed]
· Floorplan of Woolworth Building's $110M Penthouse, Revealed! [Curbed]
· The 44 New Developments Hitting The Market This Fall [Curbed]
· All Woolworth Building coverage [Curbed]
Loading comments...