Reply With QuoteJust to be clear, 425 Fifth was designed by Michael Graves. O'Hara did the monkey work. He ought to stick to that and stay away from adding any more eyesores to the skyline.
Prima - 130 West 20th Street - by H. Thomas O'Hara
Didn't see a thread up for this place...
February 8, 2008 at 1:35 pm · Filed under Prima Condo – 130 West 20th Street
Overview
Joining myriad new buildings along Chelsea’s bustling 6th-to-7th Avenue corridor, Prima will be home to 36 studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom condominiums in a mid-block location. New York’s H. Thomas O’Hara [425 Fifth Avenue’s creator] has designed a 13-story brick and glass structure with step-backs akin to Avant Chelsea. Full-height windows on the front façade are poised to take advantage of north light, aided by the low-rise character of this street. Rear units will face south, but the proximity of neighboring 19th Street buildings makes for darker spaces on lower floors. Double exposures are possible from the 8th floor and step-backs will mean terraces on some higher floor units. Prima will rise from a relatively small footprint, set between a 24-hour parking garage and an existing walk-up apartment building. It’s no dramatic architectural statement, but if you’re looking for new construction in a more intimately scaled environment, you might want to check this out.
Amenities
All the mandatory touches are included: 24-hour doorman, lounge and media room with wet bar, rear tranquility garden, sleek lobby, etc. Happily, there will be climate-controlled storage closets for each unit and cold storage for your Fresh Direct deliveries. Sadly, you won’t have a pool - or a gym for that matter - so make friends with other newbies next year at Yves on 18th Street (their pool is indoors) or 133 West 22nd Street (their pool is outdoors). Finishes are “European” and therefore include Miele and Sub-Zero appliances, plus Italian marble counters and cabinetry from GeD Cucine. Baths are clad in limestone, with wenge wood cabinetry and soaking tubs. The Brazilian walnut flooring is a nice touch.
Units and Pricing
Prudential Douglas Elliman is handling sales here, with an Open House scheduled for this Sunday, February 10th, from Noon to 3 PM. Their website lists 9 units currently; 8 of these are 1-beds, plus there’s a 2-bed, 2-bath floor-through. Note that signage announcing the impending arrival of this condo has been visible for some time now. All the studio and 3 bedroom homes are previously spoken for. It appears that early buyers of 1 bedroom units didn’t prefer the rear of the building, as much of the available inventory is in the back on lower floors. A 555 sq ft 1 bedroom is listed on the Elliman website at $699,000 ($1259 per sq ft), but the better deal is a front-facing 1 bedroom for $885,000. At 707 sq ft, this unit is less per sq ft ($1251) than its smaller neighbor.
Location
You certainly won’t be lacking in new neighbors; Lion’s Head, the Alchemy conversion at 121 West 19th Street, sits diagonally behind you and their newest offering, Indigo 21, is nearing completion around the corner. A stone’s throw from Prima, you’ll also find Chelsea House on 19th Street, Slate on 18th Street, plus Clement Clarke and Verde Chelsea on 22nd Street. Since they are literally pouring the concrete at Prima today, you’ll be moving in later in 2009 than your neighbors, but you’re most assuredly not going to be the last of the new kids on the blocks. The building is 4 minutes from the F/V and PATH on 23rd Street and 3 minutes from the 1 train stop at 18th Street, so your commutation options are well covered. This swath of Chelsea is home to a number of enjoyable restaurants and many boutiques have begun to populate the side streets in the neighborhood. Big box retail is handily set along 6th Avenue and there are now numerous home décor shops scattered throughout the area.
Investment Potential
Given the lightning speed at which studios and moderately priced 1 bedrooms are gobbled up around these parts [Chelsea Stratus] had multiple price increases, to everyone’s surprise, and any studio available there is now almost $1500 per sq ft, the Prima units look to be correctly priced. The common charges are high here, which could be the biggest drawback, but the taxes are abated, so the monthly outlay is comparable to figures quoted for other new developments in this area. Ultimately it all comes down to personal taste. You can have your privacy here or opt into a more interactive experience at one of the neighboring buildings with communal amenities. We’ll give it a B.
Just to be clear, 425 Fifth was designed by Michael Graves. O'Hara did the monkey work. He ought to stick to that and stay away from adding any more eyesores to the skyline.
I love walnut flooring it looks so rustic - unfortunately i just have Pegro Country with walnut Imitation but i still love it ...Originally Posted by JWangSDC
Of course I would prefe to have real hard wood walnut flooring.
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