The 850-apartment complex now rising at 53rd Street and 11th Avenue in Clinton that was known as Clinton Park is now called Mercedes House, according to an article in the April 24, 2011 edition The New York Times by C. J. Hughes.
The 30-story building, being developed by Two Trees Management, will have a Mercedes showroom and service center on the bottom floors, with auto sales beginning in May.
"That could help the building stand out in a crowded field of new luxury apartment buildings on the West Side, which is partly why David C. Walentas, the founder Two Trees, scrapped his original name, Clinton Park, a reference to the green space across the street. 'People are going to call it Mercedes House no matter what we call it,' Mr. Walentas said on a recent tour of the building, 'so why not just call it that?'" the article said.
The first phase of the $550 million rental and condominium project is to be completed in May and includes 250 rental units. "The second phase, which will begin this summer and wrap up a year later, will create 600 units. Of those, 400 will be rentals and 200 condos, which will have roomier layouts than the rentals and slightly different finishes, like his-and-hers vanities, Mr. Walentas said. Twenty percent of all the building's rental units will be priced below market rate, and condo prices have not yet been set," the article said.
All units will 10-foot ceilings, and washers and dryers, and many will have terraces, owing to the large number of setbacks, which are so pronounced that much of the roof line of the building, which has been designed by TEN Arquitectos of which Enrique Norten is the principal, resembles a staircase.
The goal of the building's zig-zag plan, Mr. Walentas said, was to provide westward views for as many units as possible, since a hulking Verizon switching tower looms to the east. West-facing windows will look out over De Witt Clinton Park, and beyond, to the Hudson River, where a cruise ship was docked on a recent afternoon.
The article said that "initial rents will range from about $2,800 a month, for studios, to $5,900 a month for two-bedrooms," adding that "Two Trees is offering a free month's rent as an incentive to compensate for the fact that the building is still under construction. In mid-April, after a week of marketing, 18 units had leased, Mr. Walentas said.
"Because Mercedes House is about six blocks from the nearest subway station," the article continued, "one of the amenities will be a 24-hour concierge who can call car services for residents. There is also some parking available for residents. The outdoor space will fit into the two notches of the 'Z' and will include an amphitheater and a community garden. A centerpiece of the terrace on the south side will be a large circular pool, surrounded by wooden decks and landscaping, that will evoke a vibe of 'sex, South Beach and Zen,' Mr. Walentas said."
"Under the terms of a deal hashed out with the city," the article said that "Mercedes House has built an on-site stable for 22 police horses. Pier 76 currently houses the horses, which patrol Times Square, but they need to vacate it to make way for an extension of Hudson River Park. Recent budget cuts have put the plan for the stable in jeopardy, said Mr. Walentas, who would consider leasing the 40,000-square-foot double-height space to a supermarket. But Mr. Walentas, who was until recently an avid polo player, is hopeful that the horses will arrive eventually. 'I would tell people, "You can bring in your Mercedes and have a horse for a loaner,'" he said."
The 30-story building, being developed by Two Trees Management, will have a Mercedes showroom and service center on the bottom floors, with auto sales beginning in May.
"That could help the building stand out in a crowded field of new luxury apartment buildings on the West Side, which is partly why David C. Walentas, the founder Two Trees, scrapped his original name, Clinton Park, a reference to the green space across the street. 'People are going to call it Mercedes House no matter what we call it,' Mr. Walentas said on a recent tour of the building, 'so why not just call it that?'" the article said.
The first phase of the $550 million rental and condominium project is to be completed in May and includes 250 rental units. "The second phase, which will begin this summer and wrap up a year later, will create 600 units. Of those, 400 will be rentals and 200 condos, which will have roomier layouts than the rentals and slightly different finishes, like his-and-hers vanities, Mr. Walentas said. Twenty percent of all the building's rental units will be priced below market rate, and condo prices have not yet been set," the article said.
All units will 10-foot ceilings, and washers and dryers, and many will have terraces, owing to the large number of setbacks, which are so pronounced that much of the roof line of the building, which has been designed by TEN Arquitectos of which Enrique Norten is the principal, resembles a staircase.
The goal of the building's zig-zag plan, Mr. Walentas said, was to provide westward views for as many units as possible, since a hulking Verizon switching tower looms to the east. West-facing windows will look out over De Witt Clinton Park, and beyond, to the Hudson River, where a cruise ship was docked on a recent afternoon.
The article said that "initial rents will range from about $2,800 a month, for studios, to $5,900 a month for two-bedrooms," adding that "Two Trees is offering a free month's rent as an incentive to compensate for the fact that the building is still under construction. In mid-April, after a week of marketing, 18 units had leased, Mr. Walentas said.
"Because Mercedes House is about six blocks from the nearest subway station," the article continued, "one of the amenities will be a 24-hour concierge who can call car services for residents. There is also some parking available for residents. The outdoor space will fit into the two notches of the 'Z' and will include an amphitheater and a community garden. A centerpiece of the terrace on the south side will be a large circular pool, surrounded by wooden decks and landscaping, that will evoke a vibe of 'sex, South Beach and Zen,' Mr. Walentas said."
"Under the terms of a deal hashed out with the city," the article said that "Mercedes House has built an on-site stable for 22 police horses. Pier 76 currently houses the horses, which patrol Times Square, but they need to vacate it to make way for an extension of Hudson River Park. Recent budget cuts have put the plan for the stable in jeopardy, said Mr. Walentas, who would consider leasing the 40,000-square-foot double-height space to a supermarket. But Mr. Walentas, who was until recently an avid polo player, is hopeful that the horses will arrive eventually. 'I would tell people, "You can bring in your Mercedes and have a horse for a loaner,'" he said."
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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