The city has some "modern" high-rise apartment buildings and a few "modern" townhouses but "modern," mid-rise residential buildings are rare.

The Manhattan real estate market began to change dramatically at the turn of the millennium and demand for large spaces with "luxury" amenities in "hot" neighborhoods like Chelsea and TriBeCa resulted in a number of new luxury mid-rise buildings with very large, loft-like apartments.

211 West 18th Street, an 8-story, mid-block apartment building completed in 2002

between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the heart of Chelsea is one of the new breed.

It is an elegant, glass and metal and stone structure that is highlighted by expanses of multi-paned windows and two partially curved stories.

It has 6 full-floor loft apartments and two duplexes, all with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. The apartments range in size from 1,140 to 2,995 square feet and have kitchens with European-style cherry wood cabinetry, marble countertops and Subzero and Bosch appliances. The apartments also have washers and dryers and individually controlled heating and air-conditioning systems. Master bathrooms have oversize soaking tubs and separate shower stalls and sandblasted glass countertops.

The duplex penthouse has 14-foot-six-inch-high ceilings, two wood-burning fireplaces and 1,300 square feet of wraparound terraces.

The duplex garden unit has a 650-square-foot garden and a balcony.

The building's lobby has slate flooring and a 14-foot-high ceiling.

There is video intercom security, sidewalk landscaping and a key-locked elevator, but no garage and no doorman.

There is good public transportation in the vicinity and this location is convenient not only to the many restaurants and clubs of Chelsea but also to the restaurants and shops of the Ladies' Mile Historic District and the Flatiron district and Greenwich Village.