Here’s our first look at the lofty interiors of an upcoming GF55 Partners-designed condominium at 64 East 1st Street. The seven-story property is being developed by MGM Property Group, and the site was previously occupied by the much-maligned restaurant/hookah bar La Vie. MGM purchased the 3,300-square-foot lot in late 2013 to the tune of $5.4 million and swiftly demolished the one-story building last year. Excavation work is currently ongoing.
Images uncovered on the Katzen Report‘s website market 64 East 1st Street as being within the “Bowery District” despite the storied strip being nearly a full two avenues away. Nevertheless, residents of its six units will have supreme access to the swings, slides, and handball courts of the First Park playground across the street. The ice cream truck, with its catchy evening jingles such as “Twinkle-Twinkle” and “Three Blind Mice” is usually located nearby. For buyers over the age of 12, Whole Foods supermarket and the F subway line are just a block away on East Houston Street.
GF55’s design draws from the all-too-familiar faux-loft aesthetic that now almost seems to mock the city’s nearly eviscerated industrial sector. Nevertheless, we think the look beats a glass box. A well-proportioned facade of large casement windows and metal details gels neatly within the East Village Bowery District streetscape. Its neighbor to the east is a long-time boiler and welding shop, and to the west is the 1st & First 10-unit condominium built in 2007. According to CityRealty, a one-bedroom unit here recently sold for $1.53 million or $1,408 per square foot.
Our faux-pioneers will enjoy full-floor, two-bedroom units with large open layouts (with faux-ceiling rafters), each equipped with some kind of outdoor space. Bath and powder rooms have Waterworks fittings and accessories. Each residence averages nearly 2,000 square feet and the sixth-floor duplex features a private rooftop terrace with sweeping downtown views. Amenities include a workout room on the first floor and a common roof deck with a barbeque and north-facing views.
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