Thursday, November 1, 2012

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Walk across the street.

Among the gripping images of Hurricane Sandy's assault on Manhattan was that of a crane, high atop a skyscraper, dangling in the wind after having partially collapsed from the storm gusts.

 

The backstory on the building is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the 1% in the world.

The building, called One57, is popularly known as the Billionaires Club. The top nine stories of the 1,004 foot building are full-floor apartments. Each has been sold to a billionaire. The prices were anywhere from $45 to $90 million. It has generated steady media buzz as it soars to become the tallest residential structure in New York, with breathtaking views of things like "the grassy terrace of the $88 million penthouse at 15 Central Park West."



Overall, the building's developers have raked in over $1 billion in sales, and less than 40 of the 92 units in the building were on the market when The New York Times profiled the building September 19.

"A lot of what is happening at One57 is about wealth preservation," New York realtor Nikki Fields told The Times. "As New York has emerged from the downturn," The Times reported, "high-end real estate has become a magnet for the world's super rich, who are looking for better investment returns and a safe haven from thornier economic conditions in their home countries."

Even if you have the coin to shell out for a pad at One57, your glory will be, in a sense, short-lived. The Times says 2016 is the planned completion date for another billionaire boys' club building, 432 Park Avenue. It's set to be almost 400 feet taller.

No comments:

Post a Comment