Revisiting the "Intimate" Sculpture for Living

News of the new 13-story office building coming some day to 51 Astor Place prompted some discussion of that other swanko building on the block — Sculpture for Living at 445 Lafayette.

I came across an ad from 2005 for the place...



Per Tropolism:

Renee Turman, Interior Designer, comments on the latest advertisement for Sculpture for Living, showing a rendering of unit 16A:

"First of all, they're open to the wide city stark naked, they have one little blanket over them, no rug under the bed, no curtains. Basically, it's an apartment before someone moves in, except they put a bed in there, with people who own no furniture and no drapery. That's just about as opposite as you can get from 'intimate'"

We would like to add that they appear to be shivering from fright. Is it the sight of the bad sealant job on the stock-shaped aluminum curtain wall, or the fact that the view, while fantastic, is utterly interfered with by the clunky segmentation of the "sculptural" shape (the master at work: another S-curve!) and the fact that their room cannot be furnished by anything except a tripod. And perhaps it's just me, but the telescope appears to be pointed inside the apartment, with the viewfinder located near the window.

Heh. Anyway, speaking of penthouses, one remains (427 days on Streeteasy!) on the market here for $12.75 million... check it out....

Says the listing: "The most exhilarating 360 degree views in town!!! This astonishing duplex penthouse has 232 linear feet of continuous floor-to-ceiling glass walls with unparalleled views of Manhattan!"