165 Charles Street @ West Street - by Richard Meier

[ASchwarz]

From the NY Post: Senbahar has a quality track record- the Alex and the Grand Beekman are high-quality projects.


CALVIN MAY NOT ‘ESCAPE' NEW NABES

By LOIS WEISS

A new building may be coming between Calvin Klein and his skyline views.

That's because the two Richard Meier-designed towers at 173-176 Perry St. at West Street - where Klein, Nicole Kidman and Martha Stewart own apartments - may soon have a neighbor.

Sources told The Post developer Izak Senbahar of Alexico Management is paying $20 million to buy the six-story Pathfinder warehouse to the south of the two white condominiums.

On that West Village site, he plans to put up a 15-story luxury building that could total as much as 75,000 square-feet, and might hire Meier to design it.

And that means Klein, who owns the two top floors in the southern building, could find himself staring into other people's apartments instead of the Lower Manhattan skyline.

Neither Senbahar, the warehouse owner or Meier returned calls for comment.

Richard Born, who developed the Meier buildings at 173-176 Perry St., said he passed on buying the warehouse because future residences would have to sell for upwards of $1,500 a square foot.

"There are a lot of risk factors involved as these units will not be ready for two years, and who knows where the market will be," he said.

"I hope they use Richard Meier," he said. "Because I don't want them to mar the skyline we began to create."

Senbahar and his partners recently completed the 32-story Grand Beekman at First Avenue and 51st Street and are working on the 32-story Alex at 205 E. 45th St.

[Rich Battista]

wow, the area is becoming a hot spot for this new kind of architecture, lol.

[Nitzan]

I hope whatever they build next to the two present towers, they're sensitive to the emerging skyline.... it would have been a lot better having another tall building a few doors down that right next to the two... *

[Edward]

From 24 November 2002 New York Times article "Along West Street, A Residential Makeover":

... One consequence of the extraordinary level that prices reached in the Perry Street condominium is that land prices for nearby property suitable for development have risen as well. Just south of the Perry Street site, bidding reportedly reached $250 a developable square foot for such a parcel — 12,000 square feet on West Street occupied by Pathfinder Press. "They were looking for $300 a foot," or $23.4 million, to build 78,000 gross square feet of building area, said Charles Blaichman, a co-developer of the Perry Street condominium. "That hasn't been paid anywhere. I think out-of-towners jacked up the price."

Unsuccessful bidders reported that a sales contract was signed for $20 million, or more than $250 for each square foot that can be built, with an unidentified buyer, but parties to the sale declined to discuss it.

The value of the Pathfinder Press property reflects in part the fact that demolition and new construction of a sizable building could begin fairly promptly, without zoning or other complications, developers say. This is rarely the case along West Street. Modest commercial and industrial establishments of yesterday operate on some blocks, and they will not disappear overnight.

[Kris]

Truly exquisite.

[ZippyTheChimp]

I walked by the site today. A drilling rig was setting up next to the Pathfinder, so something is going up.

[billyblancoNYC]

NICE! *I can't wait until the entire west side highway is laced with new towers. *It's about time. *I think Hudson River Park has been a great catalyst. *It must be nice to be across from both the park and the water.

[ZippyTheChimp]

You're right about the park as a catalyst. There's a residential building going up on a former parking lot at West and Laight, part of which is renovation of an adjoining warehouse. One block north a large truck maintenance garage has been vacated. The sugar building has already been restored as a condo.

Looks promising.

[Derek2k3]

Pathfinder Warehouse Site
West Street, West Village
15 stories
Richard Meier & Partners
Proposed 2004?

From the NYPost:

\http://www.nypost.com/realestate/71188.htm

Meanwhile, Senbahar has officially hired architect Richard Meier to create a third tower at Charles and West Streets, just south of the elegant twin towers he designed earlier at Perry St.

"It will be very transparent," said Senbahar of the new building.

"Don't worry, Calvin Klein [the penthouse resident on Perry St.] will still have his views."

Apartments and apartment buildings are still a desirable investment even if the most recent Rent Guidelines Board survey found a 9.25 percent vacancy for flats renting for more than $1,750 and 10.05 percent for apartments renting for more than $2,000.

[NoyokA]

Good News!

[NoyokA]

This should be sweet.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Tenant was moving out of Pathfinder this weekend.
Took this shot of Perry West

[Nitzan]

"Don't worry, Calvin Klein [the penthouse resident on Perry St.] will still have his views."


This will be interesting, how will they manage that?

[billyblancoNYC]

I guess b/c the new building will be filled with walls of glass like the present Meier buildings?

I dunno, but it's good to see good looking building going up on the West Side H'way!

[Kris]

I'm delighted, but given the identical context and use a little worried that the new one will look too similar. Meier tends to be repetitive.