Reply With QuoteDonald Trump, look out.
De Niro is a loyal New Yorker. It's nice to see that he is so involved with his neighborhood.
Robert DeNiro's The Loft Residences at 116 Hudson Street - Tribeca
Robert DeNiro's Next Act
Story by Salvatore Deluca / Feb. 9, 2004
A renovation and new construction form DeNiro's $14 million project on Hudson Street, in Manhattan's Tribeca (BKSK Architects)
On camera, the actor Robert DeNiro has played roles from Mafioso to pugilist to political spin doctor. But these days, the two-time Academy Award winner's growing off-camera presence as a savvy businessman is gaining attention.
DeNiro, who owns the successful Nobu and Tribeca Grill in his Tribeca neighborhood in Manhattan, plans to convert a building designed by Havilah M. Smith & Son in 1887 into five loft apartments and a duplex penthouse.
Construction began last month on the five-story brick structure on Hudson Street. The project incorporates a new seven-story, glass-fronted building on the vacant lot adjacent to the existing 1887 Utilitarian-style structure, which will gain a sixth floor.
Bought about 10 years ago by DeNiro, the existing structure at 116 Hudson Street until recently contained offices and apartments, while the adjacent lot has been vacant for more than 10 years.
"A previous owner had torn down a one-story, truly lovely historical structure from old New York," says George Schieferdecker of BKSK Architects in Manhattan, which is overseeing the $14 million project. "We had [the new structure's] main spaces in the previous vacant space, with glass on the front and back, so it almost remains as vacant space."
By year's end, the project will create five residential units, each 2,000 square feet, a 3,000-square foot duplex penthouse, and 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
"Obviously, Tribeca being Tribeca, it was very unusual for there to be a vacant lot," says Arthur Fefferman, president of the project's developer, Manhattan-based AFC Realty Capital, which recently renovated five nearby c. 1870 warehouses as loft apartments. "DeNiro, being an astute businessman, realized its potential."
Đ Preservation Magazine*
Donald Trump, look out.
De Niro is a loyal New Yorker. It's nice to see that he is so involved with his neighborhood.
DeNiro is a model celebrity community member. He recently rescued the Screening Room, a film theater/restaurant on Varick St near the Holland Tunnel exit, that was foreced to close.
Years ago, the restaurant owners on Greenwich St were trying to stop plans to narrow the street between Chambers and Hubert. The street was wide to accomodate the loading docks of the old produce market. About 3 lanes would be removed, and the sidewalk expanded, and dozens of trees planted. The restaurant owners argued that the narrowing would cause traffic problems in the neighborhood, but what it was really about was limos double and triple parked, while their passengers had dinner.
DeNiro was new to the neighborhood, and had opened his own Tribeca Grill. The owners enlisted his aid, thinking he would be on their side. Instead, he sided with the community.
I think I read this in the Tribeca Trib: A woman didn't know how to react when DeNiro spoke to her on the street. He scolded her for not curbing her dog. :P
She should have looked at him and said, "You talkin' to me?"Originally Posted by ZippyTheChimp
116 Hudson Street
Copyright 2003-2004 The Real Deal.
ROBERT DE NIRO BACKS FANCY NEW TRIBECA CONDOS
By MAX GROSS
July 31, 2004
NOW even Robert De Niro's gotten in on the luxury condo business.
Staying true to his beloved TriBeCa (the two-time Academy Award-winner has been involved in the restaurants Tribeca Grill and Nobu, and he created the Tribeca Film Festival), he's now behind a new complex on Hudson Street.
De Niro's newest project, a venture with AFC Realty Capital, is The Loft Residences at 116 Hudson St., a luxury condo venture that stretches across two buildings. One is an old, 19th-century landmark, the other is a still-unfinished, state-of-the-art, seven-story glass-and-steel residence.
The older half of the duo dates from 1887; it is a red-brick-and-cast-iron building whose interior is being completely gutted.
The connecting building will go up over the next five to six months. The five resulting condos went on the market last week.
"This is probably the most contemporary development project I've been involved in in the landmark district," says George Schieferdecker, an architect with BKSK Architects, which designed the project. He says that the idea of the modern part is for the condos "to remain as open and see-through as possible."
Eastern and western floor-to-ceiling windows flood the living room and kitchen with light, and all the apartments have balconies (the penthouse enjoys three separate terraces).
"We really wanted to play up the notion that this is clearly an addition," Schieferdecker said of the modern half of the building. Walking from one half of the condo to the other "you look back and you will see the old side wall of the existing building. You get a feel for the traditional up against the modern."
And De Niro? He's making modern art (or at least his newest movie) and wouldn't be interrupted during filming.
Certainly, everything inside the apartments is extremely high-tech; the kitchens are being done by the Italian firm Snaidero; the floors are Brazilian cherry wood and heated marble. Each apartment takes up an entire floor (the penthouse has two).
Four of the condos are 2,200 square feet, and start at $2.3 million. The penthouse, with 2,980 square feet, starts at $4.2 million. "I've been getting calls from Europe, L.A., all over," says Sean Murphy Turner, executive sales agent for the development. Even though the condos don't go on the market until next week, "people love that it's so central."
Still, the area doesn't have the bustle of most New York neighborhoods; there are no Barnes & Noble or Key Food stores.
"You have to walk to SoHo for that," Turner says.
Turner says that De Niro's fascination with the neighborhood is easy to understand. "It's the beautiful buildings," she says, "and the quiet. There are a lot of artists mixed in with other affluent types.
"This is a beautiful marriage between the 19th century and the 21st century," she adds. Soon they will be making beautiful mortgages together.
Copyright 2004 NYP Holdings, Inc.
116 Hudson Street. 16 July 2005.
Wow... not bad.
Not bad? Thatīs b e a u t i f u l. Note how the floor height and window design mimic the proportions of the surrounding buildings. Look how glass, used this way, blends in perfectly. Ultra modern but looks like it could have been "the worldīs first glass apartment building" circa 1890. All residential building in Manhattan should be this attractive. Bravo Di Niro. You is a classy guy.
What I like about this building is the glass in contrast to the brick walkups but also the simulated wrought iron facade which acts as an exoskeleton. New Orleans has many examples, New York has a few, the world only has a few exciting examples such as this one that combines the glass aesthetic with the metal one.
Hallidie Building, San Francisco, 1917. Photo by tjm.org
Photo by tjm.org
Last edited by ablarc; July 23rd, 2005 at 04:13 PM.
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