Above a side entrance to the Abingdon, a newly converted condominium building at 320 West 12th Street in the West Village, is carved the name “Laura Spelman Hall,” a reminder of the 1905 building’s early life as a home for working women. It was later a nursing home for 200 residents.
The 7-story building will have only 10 units, all larger than 3,200 square feet and some several times that size. The side door, flanked by granite columns, will serve as the private entrance for one of the bigger units, a 6,000-square-foot duplex “mansion” that is already in contract, having been priced at $12.995 million. Two duplex penthouses, which listed for $19.5 and $21 million, are also in contract; the former is being combined with a 3,200-square-foot unit below it, and will total 8,400 square feet over three floors.
Sales of the smallest units, which span half a floor each and start at $8.75 million, began mid-June. The strong early interest could be a sign of larger trends: that people with a lot of money are comfortable spending it again, and are interested in spending it in the West Village. Or it may reflect the particulars of the building, a prewar brick structure across from the picturesque and tiny Abingdon Square, with extremely large new apartments.
The design and development company that bought the building for $33.3 million in January 2011 started converting it soon afterward, and its apartments compare favorably with many of the neighborhood’s town houses. A managing partner of the company said, you take a 21-footer right in the middle of a block hypothetical town house. It’s fantastic, it’s gorgeous, whatever. But it’s dark, he said.
In contrast, he added, all of the units at 320 West 12th Street — which was formerly known as 607 Hudson Street — are on a corner, with windows on at least two sides. The building has amenities like a sauna and a gym and the services of a doorman and a porter. And, he continued, even the smallest units offer usable square footage in town-house-size quantities, without spreading it over multiple floors.
The larger condos are bigger than West Village town houses. A 9,600-square-foot three-floor apartment across the lobby from the 6,000-square-foot unit is currently under construction and will have a private entrance, a library with a fireplace, and a cavernous entry foyer. The person who bought the smaller “mansion” was a surprise bidder who had been there for a private viewing of another apartment, said another managing partner. Having glimpsed the separate entrance and raw space, he said, the buyer put us in a situation where saying ‘no’ was not really an option.
The timing of the conversion, with work finishing as signs point to a robust condo market in the most coveted Manhattan neighborhoods, is a happy accident for the developers. In 2007 they entered into a contract with the nursing home’s operator, Village Care of New York that was structured to make the sale final only after a replacement nursing home could be built. That facility opened in 2010 at 214 West Houston Street, clearing the way for work to start.
We thought it was going to be a two-year contract, but it ended up being a four-year contract, said another partner of the design and developing company. Which was fine, when you take into consideration what the years were like in between, he added.
The Columbus Circle-Time Warner Center named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Time Warner Center, the world headquarters of the Time Warner Corporation, is located on the west side of Columbus Circle on the site of the old New York Coliseum. The complex also hosts the Shops at Columbus Circle, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New York City studio headquarters of CNN and the Mandarin Oriental, New York hotel. Nightlife Rande Gerber makes Time Warner Center one of the city’s highly sophisticated destinations.
The Columbus Circle is known to be a major transportation hub. The M5, M7, M10, M20, and M104 buses all serve the circle. Under it is the 59th Street – Columbus Circle subway station (1 2 A B C D trains). With all the traffic coming through there’s no wonder why businesses are soaring and this circle is the center of attention.
A circle where everyone wants in :
- It has over 40 specialty retailers
- 60,000 square foot Whole Foods Market
- 40,000 square foot Equinox Fitness Club
- The Restaurant and Bar Collection features world-renowned chefs: Thomas Keller, Masa Takayama, Michael Lomonaco, Marc Murphy Live at the center of it all
The Columbus Circle is known to be a major transportation hub. The M5, M7, M10, M20, and M104 buses all serve the circle. Under it is the 59th Street – Columbus Circle subway station (1 2 A B C D trains). With all the traffic coming through there’s no wonder why businesses are soaring and this circle is the center of attention.
The Columbus Circle was designed to attract and make money. There’s no doubt in their mind that this place would not be a movie magnet. Who can you find has done a scene at Columbus Circle – actors such as Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, and countless other actors and actresses.
Columbus Circle Big Movie Appearances:
- August Rush
- Ghostbusters
- Columbus Circle
- It could happen to you
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Eyes of Laura Mars
- Home Alone 2
- Lost in New York
- Taxi Driver
- Die Hard with a Vengeance
- Enchanted
- I am Legend
- Cloverfield
- The Other Guys
- Tower Heist
- The Odd Couple (TV Series)
Columbus Circle is simply the circle that you want to be in. Everything is important on West 59th street in the eyes of America. There are noteworthy people who know people who are important! There’s remarkable places where you must visit at least once in a life time. Perhaps this is the very most significant place to be, for someone who is trying to be discovered. For certainty this is a place where there are places and people who make things happen and make a lot of money doing it!
In economic terms, we can say that couples were converted into singles. This means that more and more people are looking for single-person households. Nowadays, The United States features more single-person apartments and houses than ever before. This situation has a major impact on the economy. The truth is that families with children spend less per person as compared to a solo dweller. Below, you can see how this situation is possible.
The media has analyzed all the facets of this strange case, starting from habits that these solo dwellers have and continuing with how this state of affairs influences the economy. The main questions are whether or not the population is mainly formed of singletons and how are these persons affecting the country’s economy.
Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor has declared that only the persons who can afford to live alone can do it. A recent report has revealed that 28% of American properties accommodate only one person. This percentage is extremely high and it means that 30 million individuals are living alone. Only 12 million of them are men, the majority of them are women. In New York, Paris and London, 50% of properties house only one individual. In Stockholm, this percentage is 60%. That’s why the American marriages have hit the lowest record: 51%.
More and more people are choosing to marry later, and until then they rely on their parent’s money. Additionally, they have children when they are older. For this reason they don’t need a large home to reside in. Moreover, the job itself forces individuals to live alone. People are working almost 50 hours weekly and have no time for anything else. So, when they get home, they just want to be alone and relax. People choose to live alone. Many of them say that they would want to move in with their partner, but in fact no one wants to compromise the single lifestyle.
The major economic impact of those who live alone is that they spend the wealth, while married couples build it. In 2010, they have spent $35,000 per individual and have increased the economy with $1.9 trillion. Families with children spend $11,000 less than a singleton and married people with no children spend $6,000 less than a single person. Furthermore, 1/3 of the homes are bought by singles.
They spend that much because of the “urban tribes”. Ethan Watters, a journalist, says that these are groups of singles that act like a family structure. Despite the common belief, singles are not lonely. In fact, they complain of over-socialization and of not having time to meet all their commitments. They spend that much that they are the main target for big corporations. Car companies, home-improvement retailers and real estate firms are courting single persons and they build all their products for them. Alcohol and food retailers are focusing on groups of friends. Additionally, Ikea has reported that they sell increasingly more pieces for small apartments and Nestle said that almost 91% of customers eat Lean Cuisine meals alone.
George Marshall Allen, a New York businessman, paid a lot of money for passions such as entertaining, sailing, and photography. He also loved English architecture and it’s this ardor that left the New Jersey scenery with an incredible mark. Allen constructed Glynallen in 1917. This superb mansion is situated in Morris Township and measures 32,000 square feet. The house looks like an English castle and it also has a dungeon that is 10 feet high. Currently, the house can be bought for $5.8 million.
The mansion looks approximately 400 years old and it has an interesting history. The dungeon of this castle was used for staging plays. Additionally, it was the set of a silent movie in 1919. The castle even went through foreclosure procedures. Lately, the designers and architects spruced the house so as to use it for a fundraising.
The mansion was built in almost 5 years and in 1987 it was listed as a historic place in the National Register. This impressive estate features no less than 66 rooms and covers 7.3 acres. It stretches along the Millionaire’s Row, a road full of country estates built by wealthy families. In 1941, George Marshall Allen died. His widow passed away 10 years later and General Drafting Co. has taken over the property. The mansion was the headquarters of the map-publishing company until 1992.
In 1996, the house was purchased by a family for the price of $1.15 million. In 2011 they evacuated the property, which entered in foreclosure procedures lead by the Community Bank. The mansion features 4 powder rooms, 8 full bathrooms and 15 bedrooms. Additionally, it has features such as terrace gardens, stained-glass windows, wrought-iron lanterns, gargoyles, carved wood- paneling and 16 chimneys. Mr. Allen used to run various business ventures. So he utilized the dungeon inside the castle to organize plays. The guests were brought to the party with a personal train. In order for the property to look ancient and old, the modern conveniences were concealed. For example, the telephone was hidden behind a secret panel.
In 2011, the house was taken over by the bank. Still, it agreed to put it back on the market so as to be used for a charity event called “Mansions in May”. The event is organized by the Morristown Medical Center and its Women’s Association. More than 60 landscape and interior designers spruced and decorated the house. The entire work lasted 4 months. One it was opened for the public, almost 27,000 visitors came to see it. The charity event managed to raise $1.25 million, money that was used for building a new care center.
There are high hopes from the new owner, who is expected to do some restorations, but still maintain the old features at the same time. Some of the rooms and the kitchen were remodeled, but the bathrooms and the fireplaces need work. They also said that the greatest feature of the property is the dungeon, hidden behind a secret door.
The Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey is one of the most sought after museums of its kind. The exhibitions account for over 4,000 years of Jewish history and is an informative event to experience when you’re near 5th Avenue. The Jewish museum is a continual showcase of prominent portion of history with a total of 26,000 items. The The Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey represents a special opportunity to engage with the history of the Jewish culture expressed through art.
This impressive exhibitions covers two-floors and displays 800 works through a wide variety of video, engaging media, photography, artifacts and so much more. The features identify the Jewish experience as is unfolded from ancient times and covers over 4,000 years. There are two main issues that are questioned in the installation. What represents the true identity of the Jewish culture? Why has the Judaism religion been able to grow exponentially around the world in the most daunting and unfortunate times?
The Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey showcases the compelling intercommunication between three major reactants that have molded the Jewish experience.
- The recurring discernment and questioning of Jewish customs.
- The engagement of Judaism and Jews throughout various other cultures.
- The significance of the historical proceedings that have shaped the Jewish lifestyle.
Culture and Continuity: The Jewish Journey suggests that the Jewish culture has been able to prolong their individualism throughout the misfortunate events and disbandment by developing a culture with the ability to adjust to living environments of many countries and conditions. The progression of the Jewish proceedings, beliefs, and survival as a whole can be attributed to the ability to adjust to ever changing circumstances.
Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue
(at 92nd Street)
New York, NY 10128
Tel: (212) 423-3200
Fax: (212) 423-3232
Dates
Ongoing
Hours
- Mon, Tues, Fri – Sun: 11 am – 5:45 pm
- Thurs: 11 am – 8 pm
- $7.50 students, $10.00 seniors, $12.00 adults.
- Children under 11 free
- Closes at 4 pm on Friday during Standard Time.
The Orion Condos, 58 story 550 unit Condominium located on 350 West 42nd Street in New York City. These condominiums offer luxurious and striking condo homes and residences for only a luck exclusive few. Spacious corner living room with Floor To Ceiling windows provide amazing North and West Manhattan views, truly spectacular. The double exposures provides gorgeous light throughout the day and this immaculate home is completed in designer finishes throughout. Centrally located and with a proven property development team, the New York Orion Condo homes will attract young professionals, growing families and retired couples alike. One of the services that attract Orion’s tenants is their prestige valet and concierge services Monday-Saturday.
Only a few blocks away:
- The Broadway Theater
- Circle Line
- Subway Stations
- Port Authority Bus Terminals
- Time Square
Amazing three story amenity suite including:
- 24-hour fitness center by La Palestra
- Lap pool whirlpool screening
- Room party room business
- Center multiple sundecks
- Residents ‘cafe where a complimentary full breakfast spread is served daily!
- Security guard and video security too
- Cable TV ready High speed internet Package room Premiere Concierge Services
- Full Time doorman
Pricing Information for the Orion:
Prices ranged from about $640,000 for a 530 square foot. ft. studio to about $2,500,000 for a 1,450-square.foot, three-bedroom unit.
- Three Bedrooms from $2,500,000
- Two Bedrooms from $1,350,000
- One Bedroom from $750,000
- Studio from $640,000
With the average asking price, the long list of amenities and this prime location, The Orion has proven to be one of the hottest condo buildings in New York. If you are ever in the area or are interested in purchasing a condo just minutes away from Broadway or Time Square, The Orion is an ideal location.
304 Spring Street Luxury Condos are located right in the middle on of the most interesting neighborhood in the SoHo, New York City area. The condominiums at 304 Spring Street are centrally located to all of the SoHo hot spots for those interested in the dining, theatre, spa, and shopping options available. This building is also only minutes away from the Hudson River Park and and has so much to offer.
304 Spring Street Luxury Condos feature European design and are some of the most lavish condos in the Manhattan area. Below are just a few of the many benefits from living in the 304 Spring Street Luxury Condos in SoHo, NYC.
- 9 and 10 foot ceilings
- 8 foot custom windows
- Amazing views of the Hudson River
- Beautiful kitchens
- High gloss lacquer cabinets
- Viking and Bosch appliances
- Elegant Bathrooms
- Kohler cast iron tubs
- Glass enclosed showers
- Pietra Sienna tiles
Features
- Built-in Closet
- Hardwood Floor
- Walk-in Closet
- Washer and Dryer
Bathroom
- Bathtub
- Glass Shower
- Marble
- Vanity
Kitchen
- Dishwasher
- Stainless Steel Appliances
Building Amenities
- Doorman
- Garden
- Building Features
- Rooftop Deck
The 304 Spring Street is an exclusive building that is home to 13 2-bedroom spacious condos. Each individual condo has a whopping 3,000 square feet and offers classy Manhattan living like no where else.
The 304 Spring Street suites have magnificent fireplaces, designated dressing rooms, yoga facilities and an impressive wine room. This illustrious wine rooms is climate controlled and has enough space to accommodate over 1,000 bottles of wine. The private terrace is an ideal location to entertain a large amount of guests with huge area of 1,200 square feet. The private sundeck also provides breathtaking views of Downtown Manhattan and Soho. 304 Spring Street Luxury Condos offers so many luxurious amenities and convenient features for those lucky enough to schedule a viewing. With only 13 condos within an 11 story building, 304 Spring Street Luxury Condos provides preferred Soho living in a prime location on the southeast corner at Renwick Street in the Hudson Square neighborhood
This stand alone building has wide beige panels on its facades and each condo features its own office. Two Bedroom Condos in the 304 Spring Street building vary in sizes and average listing prices were between $1,976,000 and $3,342,600 depending on the size of the unit.
About the Artist
Wu Guanzhong is recognized as one of the most significant Chinese artists in the twentieth-century. He was born in the Jiangsu Province of China and studied at China’s Academy of art and also in Paris. He later went on to become a teacher at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and produced many controversial works throughout and prior to the Cultural revolution. Wu Guanzhong’s oil paintings were not supportive of the political avocations.
In the midst of it all, Wu Guanzhong proceeded to create eloquent artwork that gained him recognition as a monumental contributor to Chinese culture from China natives and others worldwide. Guanzhong is not only known for his works but also for his rousing outline on art and ingenuity that was known to engage intellectual arguments among artists and students of the arts.
Wu Guanzhong developed masterpieces that were the basis of the major transformation and debates in Chinese art. He push the boundaries and aroused questions regarding cultural beliefs, identity, and formality.
Revolutionary Ink: The Paintings of Wu Guanzhong entails some of the most recognized works of Wu Guanzhong’s sixty year career, covering close to four decades from the 1970’s until the early 2000’s. Wu Guanzhong decided to work primarily with ink in the 1970’s which was a remarkable feat since many artists of this era followed other influences.
Revolutionary Ink: The Paintings of Wu Guanzhong outlines the growth of Guanzhong’s paintings throughout this era and sheds light upon the value his ink paintings were to Chinese tradition. Wu reconditioned our comprehension of how the accustomed expression of ink can be used.
About the Asia Society Museum
The Asia Society Museum provides leading-edge installations and artwork that you’re bound to enjoy. Some of these exhibitions are so exclusive that they haven’t been seen in North America before being featured there. John D. Rockefeller 3rd and his family have been major contributors of invaluable masterpieces featured in the Asia Society Museum.
Through various installations and engaging outreach programs, the Asia Society Museum has continued to thrive as a successful nonprofit educational foundation. They have high tech galleries in both Hong Kong and Houston while operating offices in California, Philippines, Australia, and Washington.
Dates for Revolutionary Ink: The Paintings of Wu Guanzhong are April 25 – August 5 and event times are daily at 11:00 A.M.
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street)
New York, NY
10021
Tel: 212-288-6400
Fax: 212-517-8315
Box Office:
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Web: https://tickets.asiasociety.org
Hours
Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, with extended evening hours Fridays until 9:00 pm (except for July 1 through Labor Day).
The Museum Galleries are closed on Mondays.
From July 1 through Labor Day, Asia Society Museum closes at 6:00 pm on Fridays.
Admission
$10.00; $7.00 for seniors and $5.00 for students with ID; free for members and persons under 16.
Admission is free to all Friday 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (does not apply from July 1 through Labor Day).
A cell phone audio tour is included in the price of admission.
Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe is composed of a large variety of works from the permanent collection of El Museo del Barrio’s. Some of the installations showcase artwork that divulges into the wide variance and intricacy of the Caribbean culture as a tribute to a future installation by the name of Caribbean: Crossroads of the World.
Before its with connection with Europe the Caribbean was already known for its history of visual expression expression. The continuous streams of individuals, inventions, concepts, and photography and greatly influenced the progression and customs in the Caribbean basin and nearby Diaspora.
Works from The Permanent Collection provide an anecdotal view of some of the consistent messages of the exhibition as a whole. Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe provides informative and personal experiences about the journey of the Caribbean culture and the widespread love for their customs. This exhibition identifies the value of unity between the all of the islands along the coastlines.
The Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe outlines four main pillars that identify:
- The relationships of our day to day living and spirituality
- The continuous use of abstraction as a medium of expression
- The transition of individuals to and from inner-cities
- The everlasting amount of water accessible
The Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe in El Museuo del Barrio hosts a magnificent piece by Rossana Martinez which is a large-scale painting on custom handmade paper. Some of the alternative feature items were developed by gifted artists from Puerto Rican, Haitian, and Guatemalan artists. The Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe evaluates the language, lifestyle, culture, and unique qualities of the surrounding areas. This event will give you a new perspective of how the Caribbean natives are identified.
Schedule
Ongoing from December 20, 2011 – December 9, 2012
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm
Wednesday – 11am – 6pm
Sunday – 1pm – 5pm
El Museo del Barrio New York
1230 Fifth Avenue (between 104th and 105th Streets)
Manhattan, NY 10029
phone: 212-831-7272|
SUGGESTED GALLERY ADMISSION
- Adults: $9
- Students and Seniors: $5
- Members and children under 12: Free
- Seniors: Free on Wednesdays
- Admission to galleries is by suggested donation.
- Free admission every third Saturday of each month.
The Voces Y Visiones Gran Caribe en El Museuo del Barrio presents an educating and emotional experience. It provides an intimate invitation into the Caribbean Culture.
Opulent Enclave in Japan
Even given the high price of property in Tokyo, Japan, the price of one unit has attracted special regard for being the highest price ever quoted for a one bedroom condo. The list price is $21.8 million. The broker handling the sale is Japan’s Sotheby International Realty.
At 4,434 square feet, the unit is far larger than most Japanese detached home. Housing tends to be compact at all levels in Japan where level land is hard to be found putting a premium on all sorts of property. Apartments and condos tend to be quite small so this particular unit is the size of half a dozen or more times normal sized places.
Driving up the price is the custom made furniture that comes with a sale. Walls are imported fromItalyalong with the floors and the doors. There is a garden courtyard which is fully enclosed, and the amount of closet space alone exceeds the size of the average Japanese living space.
The dining room is set up in the Ryotei style. This configuration may be familiar to many who patronize Japanese restaurants. In it, patrons sit around a table and watch a chef prepare their meal in front of them. No cook or any other personnel come with the sale price however.
The home is sited in the Minami Azuba district which is known to have the highest prices in the city of Tokyo. Still, at $4,921 per square foot, this condo is one for the record books.
More Rooms than Average
While the unit only has one bedroom, this condo contains several other rooms. Each of these rooms is considerably larger than anyone would consider as normal. This along with the high end craftsmanship of construction adds a lot to the price.
The original artwork adorning the walls was created on site by leading Japanese artists. There is further ornamentation that graces the courtyard and terraces that border the unit. One of the closets is set up to hold two hundred pairs of shoes.
Although this is a one bedroom condo, it has earned the nickname of “The House.” Japanese tend to shy away from showy displays of wealth so the unit may be more aimed at the foreign market. There was a large scale exodus of European and American executives and investors in the wake of the 2008 global financial crises. They have yet to begin flocking back in significant numbers, but there are growing numbers of newly rich Chinese who are buying into the Japanese market.
The average price for a condo of this size in this neighborhood would normally be slightly less than $2 million. The extra cost is largely attributed to the high priced extras such as the artwork and the custom design. Japanexperienced a tremendous run up in real estate prices in the 80’s. The housing bubble that took place at that time far exceeded the price rises experienced in the more recent housing bubble in the United States. The subsequent bursting of the bubble left the Japanese economy in shambles.
