424 Bedford Avenue: Review and Ratings

Review of 424 Bedford Avenue by Carter Horsley

"It sits not on the border of the Hasidic territory, like Gretsch, but smack dab in the middle of it, between South 8th and South 9th Streets," wrote Michael Idov about Zazza Williamsburgh in an article in the April 11, 2010 edition of New York magazine.

"Five years ago," the article continued, "in its place was a fully functional knish factory, Gabila s, in business since 1921 and famous for 'The Original Coney Island Square Knish.' The developer, Michael Zazza, says he bought it in 2005 at a fantastically low $85 per square foot. 'I'm Italian and Syrian, and I went down into an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood and knocked down a knish factory,' Zazza says. 'As you can imagine, they were overwhelmed with joy!' The Hasids hung signs and staged protests; in a collaboration with Hispanic activists, they recruited the help of Queens councilman Tony Avella and pushed to landmark the factory."

"Zazza," the article said, "knew how to make amends. His high-rise would be facing a synagogue, and he had bought a piece of land directly abutting it; if he built on it, he would rob the existing building of many of its windows. So he sold that lot to the synagogue. At market rate, of course. 'I helped them preserve the character of the shul,' he says. 'It was my peace offering.' He also shaded the bathroom windows on the side of the high-rise that would face the shul. He hired 'indigenous people,' as he unironically calls Hasids, for kitchen cabinetry and plumbing fixtures. He gave locals first crack at renting, a completely pointless gesture because Zazza's apartments don't have the baths required by Hasidic tradition."

"The resulting glassy tower," according to the article, "epitomizes the weird armistice between the Satmars and the arrivistes. It has all the hipster amenities, from a fire pit to bike storage to a 'resident gardening area.' But the grounds it occupies are protected by a fence - highly unusual for New York - and only accessible via an intercom-equipped metal gate. It looks like a fortress within an already fortified neighborhood: an enclave, like Andorra or Lesotho. 'The fence is not that tall,' Zazza insists when I ask him about it. 'I mean, it doesn't look like Rikers Island or anything.'"

Mr. Zazza's building is a 20-story apartment building with 66 units that were originally planned as condominiums but eventually became rentals.

The building was designed by Greenberg Farrow Architects.

It has a doorman, on-site parking, storage units, bicycle storage, a double-height lobby, and keycard entry at its main gate and lobby.

It has a private resident courtyard with a cascading reflecting pool and a resident gardening area.

Apartments have washers and dryers, operable double-glazed windows, wide plank white oak flooring, individual controlled heating and air-conditioning. Kitchens have GE Profile stainless steel appliances with Matte White cabinetry and white Caesarstone countertops. Baths have Basaltina Italian stone floors, white Carrara marble vanity tops, walk-in showers with frameless glass enclosures, Zuma whirlpool bathtuds and Kohler Signature Line fixtures.

The building's façade is divided into two-story-high grids with discrete air-conditioners.

The building, which opened in 2009, is convenient to several subway lines and good dining and nightlife.