selling West 17th St / 3 very different lofts almost on top of each other
huge range of (truly) special options west of Fifth on 17 St
I have seen three very different lofts almost on top of each other in three very different buildings on 17th St b/w Fifth and Sixth in the last two weeks.
one little area on West 17 St is for sale
The original owners of 12 West 17 St #5 made an unusual choice. It appears that when the building was converted to coop (early 1980s?) the walls and ceiling had various stains, were peeling, and otherwise showed their age and commercial usage (it was built in 1925). Instead of totally cleaning and repainting (or covering the ‘weathered’ surfaces), the original owner cleaned enough to put a poly finish on the walls and ceilings, preserving the look without endangering anyone’s health or having paint chips peel away.
patina is in the eye of the beholder
The result is the “patina’ described in the agent’s description and in the photographs that do not do justice to how nice this looks. Clearly, it is not for everyone but it is an interesting look (a bit dark, but pleasing to this eye).
Subsequent owners have respected this choice, so that original look appeals to this day. Otherwise, this is a long-and-narrow floor-through loft (with windows along one long wall) that is pretty dated – not that there’s anything wrong with that. If you like the look, you like the look.
This is a pretty “classic” loft, in other words. They say it is 2,400 sq ft, asking $2.7mm for the last 18 months.
you like nice + new + clean + done?
Across the street at 15 W 17 St, the owners of a former factory building that was converted into rentals about six years ago are now converting floors 2 – 11 into floor-through lofts. The footprint is very similar to 12 W 17 St across the street (long-and-narrow) but the lower floors have windows only front and back, as the side windows begin at the 6th floor.
One interesting developer’s choice here is that the built-out layouts are a little different from floor to floor. Each floor is said to be 2,221 sq ft and prices range from $2.425mm to $2.975mm. Click here for the 2d floor info and here for the 9th floor. The units are finished with the standard-for-the-price ‘high end’ appliances and finishes.
This is a pretty standard “new” loft in an old building, in other words.
or do you want to start from before scratch?
Next door is 17 W 17th St where the 3rd floor is for sale. This is a completely different loft property at a similar price point ($2.9mm). This is 4,600 sq ft of “pre-raw” space, as it is currently a working tool-and-die business that will be sold and relocated. So it is set up with two small offices, one bathroom and all the indicia of the current use for a tool-and-die firm.
This is a total gut renovation with four plumbing risers in the floor plan with the major limitation that the light is very good in the front and very bad in the rear. At $2.9mm for 4,600 sq ft it is rather a ‘special’ opportunity. It is marketed as though conversion to a legal residence is a simple process.
This is a pretty standard gut renovation job, in other words.
it’s a wonderful world
This is a terrific microcosm of the Manhattan loft world, which you can tour within a very small distance. Fascinating (to me; maybe to you). ‘Course it ain’t cheap….
© Sandy Mattingly 2006
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