Old New York is new again. Looking to the past for inspiration, a handful of ground-up developments are ditching contemporary glass and steel to embrace historic prewar designs.
In NoMad, at 30 E. 29th St., you’d swear the brand new Rose Hill condo tower was built during the Art Deco heyday of the 1920s if it weren’t rising before your eyes. The 45-story, 123-unit building, designed by architecture firm CetraRuddy, channels 30 Rockefeller Center with symmetrical setbacks and other Gotham-esque touches, like a geometrically patterned façade.
“We wanted to tip our hat to our company’s legacy and our connection to Art Deco design,” says Meg Brod, senior vice president at Rockefeller Group, the developer of Rose Hill. “It’s about creating something that will retain value, stand the test of time and be beautiful for decades, if not centuries.”
Prices in the building (opening in 2020) range from $1.1 million for a one-bedroom to $11.9 million for a two-bedroom penthouse. It’s on the market with Core.
Way uptown, at Broadway and 122nd Street, The Vandewater is also embracing retro modernity. Designed by Incorporated Architecture and Design, the 183-unit, 33-story concrete tower is inspired by “historic gothic architecture” and incorporates a modern interpretation of age-old design techniques and details,” according to Halstead, which is marketing the tower.
But if it’s iconic Upper East Side stateliness with all the latest amenities you crave, head to Icon Realty’s Beckford House and Tower. The 31-story, 104-unit two-building complex, at 301 E. 81st St., is designed by Studio Sofield to look every bit as good as anything Rosario Candela ever built, complete with a limestone façade, grand lobby and milk-glass globe pendants. A two-bedroom there will set you back $2.4 million, while a five-bedroom is available for $9.9 million, via Douglas Elliman.