Thursday, February 13, 2020

Houston House shapes up on East Houston Street



Construction at the Houston House, 298 E. Second St. just west of Avenue D, continues...



There's a lot more information about the 8-story condplex — "inspired by environmentally friendly passive house standards" — at the HH website since our last visit.

For instance:

Interiors were designed to maximize space and natural light, and many of the units have dramatic, unobstructed views of One WTC and Lower Manhattan. Amenities include breathtaking views, part-time doorman, a state-of-the-art Butterfly Mx virtual doorman system, bicycle storage, and a package room.

Each apartment boasts private outdoor space and an array of high-end fixtures and finishes. Specific features include private keyed elevator access, gorgeous wide plank hardwood floors, triple glazed floor-to-ceiling windows with northern and southern exposure, high ceilings, Energy Recovery Ventilator Systems, Miele washers/dryers with heat-pump technology, and stunning kitchens equipped with eat-in peninsulas, statuary quartz countertops, a matching backsplash, custom Italian cabinetry, pantry space by ALTA, and a suite of fully-integrated Miele appliances.

A new East Houston landmark, Houston House is just steps from numerous parks and public gardens and a continually evolving collection of restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. It is close to the brand new Essex Crossing development, and is a short walk to the East River Promenade...

Another time we'll note the "evolving collection of restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops" that are "just steps" from this building.

HH features several floor-through units with either two or three bedrooms. The one residence listed online starts at $2.8 million. There are interior renderings galore at the site.

As for the outside ...


[Zakrzewski + Hyde Architects]

This property was most recently the Houston Street Beer Distributors. The parcel fetched a little more than $7 million in the fall of 2015, per public records.

Houston House will have a new neighbor one of these days. Construction started in the empty lot next door back in November on a 14-story affordable housing complex. The building will include 45 rental apartments affordable to low and middle-income New Yorkers.

Previously on EV Grieve:
298 E. 2nd St. latest development site up for grabs

East Village now minus 2 beverage distributors

Something brewing (demolition) for former beer distributor on East 2nd Street


[Photo from August 2016]

13 comments:

  1. Breathtakingly views of Houston St, lol.

    Promoting the "evolving collection" of local businesses says a lot about the current culture of transiency and detachment.

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  2. Inspired by passive standards, wtf does that mean? Why not just built to passive standards?

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  3. "...evolving collection of restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops" - my translation: "Places that open and then close within months, allowing yet another to take its place until it, too, shutters, only for the process to start all over again." Don't get too attached to any of them, newbies!

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  4. LOL, "unobstructed views" - of Houston Street traffic! Air quality in the negative numbers. And what more charming location could there be in NYC than right there? Gotta find $2.8 million under my sofa cushions right away!

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    1. We are all breathing the terrible air quality on Houston street whether we live there or not.? And we need to demand a change to it. We can have protected bike lanes and separated bus lanes, reduce the amount of cars and encourage the usage of more sustainable methods of transportation. Remember that only 20% of households in the area own cars.

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  5. I’m looking for “passive aggressive standards” inspiration

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  6. Couldn't wait to leave Ave D...Will never return...

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  7. @Coresh Wald: I don't know how you can make such statements; I am NOT breathing the air from Houston Street, as I live near Union Square.

    AFAIK, Avenue D residents are also breathing the crisp water breezes off the East River!

    But in your comments, it's always about how horrible cars are. If you ever need an ambulance, I hope EMT dispatchers have noted that you wouldn't want to be transported in such a disgusting, polluting vehicle.

    And maybe we can bring back the horse & buggy, which would leave the streets of NYC lined with FERTILIZER - how eco-conscious would that be?! AWESOME!!

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  8. @anon 6:59: Don’t you get it that the ambulances and the fire trucks and the utility vehicles and the delivery trucks and the buses will be able to move efficiently and fast if you restrict access to private vehicles? Since you live next to Union Square you can see it in action on 14 Street. And no, everybody who lives next to the FDR drive does not breath crisp water breeze. Asthma rate among Av D residents is among the highest in the city.

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  9. @Choresh Wald: What I see vis-a-vis Union Square is that the MTA has cut back on the number of buses they are running, and many times people (including me) are stuck waiting 10-20 minutes for a bus, whether eastbound or westbound.

    And I know that if it's cold, rainy, windy, or all of those things, if you miss the bus, you cannot now take a taxi across 14th Street. So, IMO, service has become worse on 14th Street. But the MTA will never admit that!

    I also see first-hand the clogging of ALL traffic on the adjacent residential blocks of 13th and 12th Streets. I see that getting a moving van to move someone in or out is nearly impossible. I see that deliveries are difficult. I also see that the bike lanes are mostly empty, while the bike riders & people on scooters are in the vehicle lane (and I have no idea why they prefer the vehicle lane).

    So, no, I don't see that "other" vehicles than private cars are moving better or more freely for being kept off of 14th St.

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  10. It looks like a giant Internet router. Houston Street just gets worse all the time. Welcome to The Horridor.

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  11. Window like that might be nice in an office high in the sky...

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