NEW YORK—How will you decorate the walls of your new $5 million home? Those who hadn’t contemplated the question would have been doing just that if they attended the art sale at 15 Union Square West.
On Dec. 10, the luxury condo 15USW teamed up TAMA Gallery with to showcase artwork, using three apartments as gallery space. The works displayed complemented the styling of 15USW’s interiors, thus simultaneously selling the art of the home and the home for the art.
“Some of the people who came here for the art were interested in the real estate, and some people who come for the real estate were very interested in the art as well,” Shlomi Reuveni, the Executive Vice President/Senior managing director for Brown Harris Stevens Select, the division of BHS that has an exclusive partnership with Christie’s Great Estates. BHS Select and Christie’s auction house have jointly held similar promotion events.
15USW is the kind of building that one must experience in order to understand. “This is the kind of product that appeals to a very sensitive clientèle with a high consciousness for design and architecture. It’s really like a jewel,” Reuveni said.
Part of what makes 15USW so unique is its history as the former address of Tiffany & Co.’s headquarters. The building’s original six floors were constructed in the 1800s, when cast iron was a relatively inexpensive way to create complex facades. Now, a signature part of that facade has become the focal point of the condo’s character.
“What we found when we chipped away at some of the nondescript tile are these incredible cast iron arches,” Reuveni said. These arches are the only cast-iron elements that remain on the building; after a part of the facade fell on a man in 1952, the building’s management removed most of the iron. They stand 17 feet high, creating the illusion that the already expansive space is limitless, reaching out beyond the shops of Union Square and as far as the eye can see. So the architect decided to convert the cast-iron arches into window frames by wrapping the entire building in non-reflective glass.
“The facade of 15USW is designed with a complex, layered skin, which defines its relationship with the outside world,” said 15USW architect Eran Chen, principal and senior designer with Perkins Eastman. “While traditionally, inside and outside were clearly separated by a wall or window, the design of the this building allows one to experience the outside from within the individual apartments.”
When the building is completed, the top floors will resemble a group of glass building blocks set at different depths. They will house amenities including a pool and gym. Valet parking and ample personal services complete the 15USW experience.
The arrangement of the building’s spaces is the the work of world-renowned interior designer Vicente Wolf. He blends elements traditionally associated with old-world luxury (polished woodwork, expensive materials) with clean, contemporary lines. Each of the 36 units have a different floor plan to buyers the maximum flexibility.
Since the building began marketing in March, units have been sold solely through word-of-mouth. So far, 35 percent of the units have been sold, and Reuveni and his team are aiming to fill out units for the closing date in spring 2009.
On Dec. 10, the luxury condo 15USW teamed up TAMA Gallery with to showcase artwork, using three apartments as gallery space. The works displayed complemented the styling of 15USW’s interiors, thus simultaneously selling the art of the home and the home for the art.
“Some of the people who came here for the art were interested in the real estate, and some people who come for the real estate were very interested in the art as well,” Shlomi Reuveni, the Executive Vice President/Senior managing director for Brown Harris Stevens Select, the division of BHS that has an exclusive partnership with Christie’s Great Estates. BHS Select and Christie’s auction house have jointly held similar promotion events.
15USW is the kind of building that one must experience in order to understand. “This is the kind of product that appeals to a very sensitive clientèle with a high consciousness for design and architecture. It’s really like a jewel,” Reuveni said.
Part of what makes 15USW so unique is its history as the former address of Tiffany & Co.’s headquarters. The building’s original six floors were constructed in the 1800s, when cast iron was a relatively inexpensive way to create complex facades. Now, a signature part of that facade has become the focal point of the condo’s character.
“What we found when we chipped away at some of the nondescript tile are these incredible cast iron arches,” Reuveni said. These arches are the only cast-iron elements that remain on the building; after a part of the facade fell on a man in 1952, the building’s management removed most of the iron. They stand 17 feet high, creating the illusion that the already expansive space is limitless, reaching out beyond the shops of Union Square and as far as the eye can see. So the architect decided to convert the cast-iron arches into window frames by wrapping the entire building in non-reflective glass.
“The facade of 15USW is designed with a complex, layered skin, which defines its relationship with the outside world,” said 15USW architect Eran Chen, principal and senior designer with Perkins Eastman. “While traditionally, inside and outside were clearly separated by a wall or window, the design of the this building allows one to experience the outside from within the individual apartments.”
When the building is completed, the top floors will resemble a group of glass building blocks set at different depths. They will house amenities including a pool and gym. Valet parking and ample personal services complete the 15USW experience.
The arrangement of the building’s spaces is the the work of world-renowned interior designer Vicente Wolf. He blends elements traditionally associated with old-world luxury (polished woodwork, expensive materials) with clean, contemporary lines. Each of the 36 units have a different floor plan to buyers the maximum flexibility.
Since the building began marketing in March, units have been sold solely through word-of-mouth. So far, 35 percent of the units have been sold, and Reuveni and his team are aiming to fill out units for the closing date in spring 2009.
