Manhattan Loft Guy

Jul. 1, 2007 - follow the bouncing price at 251 W 19 St – now UP

curiouser and curiouser

We’ve had an extended commentary about the peculiar history at 251 W 19 St Unit 3C, with one civilian speculating that the unit is being sold by the bank out from under an over-extended owner. See how the (something) have fallen … 251 W 19 St at 40% off from June 5, with two weeks of comments.

The unit came to market in March for $3.4mm and has had a new price each month ($2.75mm in April and $2.1mm in May), with last week’s price increase to $2.24mm just making it as June’s price.

Of the other units for sale in the building, #3D is now in contract (I had originally said “#3D is offered through PruDE’s Lida Drummond for $2.395mm (1,777 sq ft). Looks like more bling-bling than #3C”) and #8D is still available (“#8D is offered through PruDE’s Leonard Steinberg, et al., for $2.795mm. [Much more bling-bling than #3C, as “words cannot describe…”]”).

I did get to that open house but the agent showing that night could not (would not?) comment on whether this was a bank sale. With an empty loft, it is certainly a moved-on-with-life seller sale.

Building note: I cannot understand why the lobby attendant in this building still sits at a desk behind a glass partition. I assume that this is a holdover from early days, but it gives the faint suggestion that the lobby attendant (more a ‘guard’ than a ‘doorman’) needs some layer of protection from people who open the door from the sidewalk. Not a useful suggestion for $2mm lofts, in my view.

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Jul. 1, 2007 - re: follow the bouncing price at 251 W 19 St – now UP

Posted by Anonymous

Yes, the lobby attendant is certainly an unsightly throwback. One can only hope that the "Chic new lobby" pictured on page 4 of the photos at this listing is completed sooner than later. It would appear from the rendering that the glass will indeed be gone.

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Jul. 2, 2007 - re: follow the bouncing price at 251 W 19 St – now UP

Posted by Sandy Mattingly

“Unsightly throwback” is a perfect way to describe that “guarded” lobby!

There is probably a blog post in here, about how some buildings have lobbies that long-time residents tolerate because they don’t really see them anymore. It can take a new set of owners (who spent serious bucks) to realize it is time for an upgrade. Sometimes this is a generational thing, between long-time owners and newcomers. The people who have been there a while figure “it has always been good enough for us this way” and don’t see the need to spend money on that, while newcomers may be more concerned with ‘appearances’ and enhancing property values.

On the “throwback” front, I have not been in 114 W 27 St in a couple of years, but they used to have a decidedly sign-of-former-times-lobby-sign. The elevator sat wherever it last had gone and it appears they used to have safety concerns about standing too long in the (locked) lobby. The lobby sign said something like “For the protection of your neighbors, please be sure to send the elevator back to the lobby when you go upstairs.”

That was jarring! (I hope I am correct about which building this was; I would hate to libel the wrong building.)

THX for stopping by Anonymous. Can I ask you to use an anonymous nom-de-blog other than “Anonymous” so that I may recognize in the future which anonymous post-er you are?

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