101 North 5th Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 101 North 5th Street by Carter Horsley

Although the new major Manhattan residential projects designed by such architectural stars as Frank O. Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron and Christian de Portzamparc gain most the press, there are some stunning new residential buildings in Brooklyn that are not less exciting even if their architects are less widely known.

One of the best new designs is the relatively modest "NV" at 101 North Fifth Street in Williamsburg. Only 7 stories high, it is nevertheless quite wide and is distinguished by its very cool acquamarine color of brushed "jade" steel" and its castellated roofline with glass railings.

The building has a few balconies but its complex façade is very nicely modulated by protruding bays and, more importantly, protruding mullions that do not extend the full height of the building.

Another excellent and very elegant design touch is that the first floor has a black façade that makes the rest of the building "float."

Karl Fischer, one of the most active architects in new developments in Brooklyn, designed the building, which was developed by Michael Morton of The Morton Group of Delray Beach, Fla.

In his long July 12, 2009 article, "The Billyburg Bust," in New York magazine, David Amsden noted that "the building is one of the most conspicuous new projects in the neighborhood, resembling something that, after failing to sell in Miami's faltering market, was airlifted and plunked down into Brooklyn."

That would have been Miami's loss.

He also observed that "NV" may be a reference "both to its North 5th Street address and, ostensibly, the idea that anyone who moves in will become the 'envy' of all their friends."

Its color, of course, invites comparison with Herzog & de Meuron's flashy 40 Bond Street project for Ian Schrager in Manhattan where they employed large green glass elements to frame the windows as a design recollection of that area's famous cast-iron façades. That building also had a darker base fronted by the building's most flamboyant design gesture, its long "graffiti" fence. The "graffiti" fence, of course, has no peers and is remarkably daring and effective but otherwise the proportions of NV are better than 40 Bond Street.

A more appropriate Manhattan comparison might be to Bill Pedersen's marvelously undulating One Jackson Place in the West Village where its complexity is created not only by its curves but the varying widths of its windows. It is a very beautiful object that conjures the glistening reflections of a titled, melting wedding cake (that's a compliment!).

In its own way, this building harkens to the industrial vernacular of the Brooklyn waterfront with its large windows and "serious" sobriety.

When he wrote his article, Mr. Amsden observed that "a banner informed interested shoppers that the Morton Group was willing to pay 100 percent of closing costs, evidence that a contingency plan was in effect. "Is this what I expected? Of course not," Morton told me a few days later. "You go into a project like this expecting that the sellout would be very quick and that you'd be able to keep raising prices as the units sold." Instead, Morton has been forced to drop the prices considerably, which turned out to be an effective (if less rewarding) move. Since I visited, the building is now 75 percent sold. "We feel as good as we can right now," Morton said. "We're still in the black, that's the good news."

The building's lobby has Achille Castiglioni lighting sculptures and Marcel Wanders limited edition print armchairs. The building has a 24-hour fitness room, private storage units, a media lounge, 22 onsite parking spots and a virtual doorman security service.

In addition, the building, which is also known as 148-154 Berry Street, has three roof terraces with a landscaped garden around a nested firepit.

Apartments have four-inch white oak flooring and ten-foot-ten-inch ceilings.

The building is three blocks away from an L subway station and just a few minutes' walk from the East River waterfront and one block from Bedford Avenue.

The building's 40 apartments range from 670-square-foot one-bedroom units to 1,440-square-foot three-bedroom apartments.

Many units have balconies or terraces. Finishes include Veneta Cucine kitchen cabinetry, Dornbracht faucet and appliances from Bosch, KitchenAid, FCI and Sub-Zero while spa-like baths boast finishes by Wet Style, Porcher and Grohe.