Showing posts with label 51 Astor Place. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 51 Astor Place. Show all posts

Monday, March 7, 2016

Updated: Flywheel Sports debuts Thursday at 51 Astor Place



Classes at the indoor cycling studio start Wednesday Thursday morning over at 51 Astor Place, according to the Flywheel Sports website.

This location — the 11th Flywheel in the metropolitan area — features a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes ... and is conveniently located next to a CVS.

Updated 3/9

We originally understood that the studio opens today (based on the class schedule on the Flywheel website)... Flywheel reps are out on Astor Place today... the first class is free...


[Photo by Vinny & O]

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place

Spin cycle: Flywheel Sports opening next month in 51 Astor Place

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Spin cycle: Flywheel Sports opening next month in 51 Astor Place


[EVG photo from the other day]

Yesterday, we noted where we thought the incoming Flywheel Sports was going to live behind the plywood at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star.

And just like that, signage arrived yesterday noting an opening next month...



This indoor cycling location will feature a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes.

There hasn't been any research just yet to see how Flywheel compares to the Citi Bikes stationary workout.



Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place

Monday, February 22, 2016

[Updated] Chopt opens today at 51 Astor Place; free salads in return for a donation



Chopt opens today over at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ... on the Fourth Avenue side at East Ninth Street...

And the self-described globally inspired salad company has an incentive for people to eat a salad (or salad wrap!) today via their Chopt Gives Day.

Via the EVG inbox...

This Monday, Chopt will open the doors to its new location at 51 Astor Place and give away free salads and salad wraps to all customers in exchange for any donation to their charitable partner Wellness in Schools, a non-profit that promotes healthy eating and environmental awareness to kids in public schools across the US. Hours: 11am - 1:30pm, 6pm - 8:30pm.

And here's a look at the Chopt space...





Meanwhile! As for the other new businesses at No. 51 here in MiSo... Bluestone Lane Coffee is setting up shop next to Chopt ...



Looks as if they have a ways to go before opening...



And the Flywheel Sports looks to be going in right behind the plywood on the southeasterly facing side of the building...



According to Well + Good, the incoming Flywheel will feature a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes. Plus! "[I]t will be the first to introduce a new, instructor-controlled LED lighting system."

Hope that doesn't disturb Watson, deep in thought upstairs.

Updated 5 p.m.

EVG reader Brian Polay shared this photo... showing that folks were lining up for the salad deal today...



Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Cleaning the rabbit ears at 51 Astor Place



Wash day again for the 14-foot-tall, 6,600-pound red rabbit sculpture by Jeff Koons inside the lobby at the IBM Watson Building/51 Astor Place/Death Star... photo via EVG reader 8E.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Here's the Bluestone Lane Coffee signage at 51 Astor Place



The Bluestone Lane Coffee signage is now up over at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ... on the Fourth Avenue side next to the front entrance...



Sorry!



And right next door to the incoming Chop't...



What is Bluestone Lane Coffee? There are five locations in the city. And, via their website:

Bluestone Lane offers a refined product proposition dedicated to producing the highest quality coffee and complimentary foods, delivered in an engaging way. We are focused on creating environments where customers are immersed in the experience and leave feeling like a local.

Bluestone Lane Coffee is influenced from the renowned coffee culture hub of Melbourne, Australia, where premium coffee is a way of life.

Meantime, not sure exactly where the other retail tenant, Flywheel Sports, will live in the building. According to Well + Good, the incoming Flywheel will feature a stadium-seating studio with more than 70 bikes. Plus! "[I]t will be the first to introduce a new, instructor-controlled LED lighting system."

Also, when did someone chop down these trees outside 51 Astor Place?



Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Friday, December 18, 2015

The new Astor Place CVS actually opens... TODAY



Well, after faking us out once... the CVS at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star opens today. (The sign on the door originally said Sunday, Dec. 13, which meant that we got all dressed up for nothing — except church, of course.)

As noted previously and previously, CVS will eventually be joined by three more ground-level businesses — Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports.

Meantime, see you in the Beauty section!

Previously on EV Grieve:
You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

BREAKING: CVS is the 1st retail tenant for the Death Star! (42 comments)

1st sign of the incoming CVS at 51 Astor Place

CVS has teamed up with Watson, IBM’s supercomputer

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Friday, December 11, 2015

[Updated] First retail tenant at 51 Astor Place opens on... Sunday



The anticipation builds at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ... as the CVS debuts on Sunday.

The opening marks the first official retail outlet here in the base of the 13-story, 430,000-square-foot office building. (You can't really count the 215 Chrystie sales office on the Third Avenue side for hotelier-developer Ian Schrager because they don't accept the Discover card.)

The familiar glow of the CVS and Pharmacy letters provide contextual harmony* and a strikingly modernistic dramatic streetscape* for the Fumihiko Maki-designed building that reportedly cost $300 million to develop.



If you need any CVS-type items before Sunday, then you could try the Walgreens or Kmart directly across Astor Place or, perhaps, the Walgreens on East 14th Street and Fourth Avenue … or the Duane Reade locations on East 14th Street and Third Avenue and East 14th Street and Broadway ... or the Duane Reade on Third Avenue and East 10th Street. Or the Duane Reade on Broadway near East 10th Street.

CVS will eventually be joined by three more ground-level businesses — Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports.

Updated:
The Grand Opening has been pushed back to Dec. 18!

Previously on EV Grieve:
You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

BREAKING: CVS is the 1st retail tenant for the Death Star! (42 comments)

1st sign of the incoming CVS at 51 Astor Place

CVS has teamed up with Watson, IBM’s supercomputer

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

* cut-n-paste from some random architectural reviews

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Chopping soon signage up at the Death Star

Exactly one month ago today we heard about the three new retail clients coming to 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star — Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t Creative Salad Company and Flywheel Sports.

The first of the incoming trio's signage has arrived on the Fourth Avenue/Astor Place side at Ninth Street this week… Chop't! Per the window dressing, the quick-serve salad place will be "Chopping this Winter." (Wonder if they do firewood too?)



These new tenants will join what's looking like the World's Largest CVS here in MiSo.

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports

Monday, October 12, 2015

3 new retail tenants for 51 Astor Place: Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t and Flywheel Sports


[EVG file photo]

Here's the news via the EVG inbox...

SRS Real Estate Partners announces the signing of three retail transactions at Edward J. Minskoff’s 51 Astor Place. Leases were recently executed with “best in class” operators Bluestone Lane Coffee, Chop’t Creative Salad Company and Flywheel Sports.

These three tenants join CVS at the building, further transforming the Astor Place streetscape and enhancing the amenities for the office tenants and surrounding neighborhood. Only one retail space remains in the 400,000 SF Fumihiko Maki-designed tower.

Here's more about Bluestone Lane Coffee, which has five Manhattan locations:

Bluestone Lane offers a refined product proposition dedicated to producing the highest quality coffee and complimentary foods, delivered in an engaging way. We are focused on creating environments where customers are immersed in the experience and leave feeling like a local.

Bluestone Lane Coffee is influenced from the renowned coffee culture hub of Melbourne, Australia, where premium coffee is a way of life.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union now owns 49% of 51 Astor Place, which people still think is in Midtown South



The Real Deal has the story about 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star:

The Korean Teachers’ Credit Union recently bought a minority stake in Edward Minskoff’s 51 Astor Place, a deal that values the futuristic-looking Midtown South office property at $600 million. The Seoul-based credit union, which has more than $23 billion in assets under management, paid roughly $113 million to buy a 49-percent stake in the fully leased, 400,000-square-foot building.

Why?

James Yoohoon Jeon of FG Asset Management, which oversees the credit union’s investments in 51 Astor Place, said: "We believe there’s a huge potential for rent increase in Midtown South."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Facebook is moving into the neighborhood; Midtown South expands its boundaries, apparently

Report: Maps show that Midtown South does NOT include the East Village/Astor Place

Friday, September 4, 2015

Death Star inflatable rat attack!



The inflatable union rat is currently perched outside 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star ...

EVG correspondent Steven reports that occupant St. John's University is the target... via the District Council No. 9 Painters and Allied trades, who are protesting claims of the school hiring workers and not giving them the wages and benefits that were established in the area by said District Council.



The crew is handing out flyers...



Maybe later the rat and rabbit can mix it up.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Today in $370 million loans


[EVG photo from last fall]

Here's news concerning 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star via the Commercial Observer:

Two major lenders took to Astor Place for another mega-deal in the hip college neighborhood.

Bank of America and Barclays provided New York-based Edward J. Minskoff Equities with a $370 million loan on the firm’s 51 Astor Place office tower ...

The real estate acquisition and development firm is using the loan to refinance and pay off construction financing on the office building...

According to estimates, development of the building cost some $300 million. The office part of the building is fully occupied ... with the first retail tenant — CVS, woot — on its way.

What would you do with a $370 million loan?

Friday, July 24, 2015

1st sign of the incoming CVS at 51 Astor Place



Paper went up this week around the retail space at 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star that will house a CVS...



According to The Real Deal, which first reported on the building's first retail tenant last week, this CVS will cover roughly 11,500 square feet on the Death Star's ground and concourse levels … at the southern end here …

The new CVS marks the 29th large-scale drug store in the immediate area.

Previously on EV Grieve:
BREAKING: CVS is the 1st retail tenant for the Death Star! (42 comments)

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Report: Retail announcements likely coming this summer for the IBM Watson building


[EVG file photo]

While the office component of 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/the Death Star is now fully operational leased, the retail spaces have remained empty for nearly two years. (Well, there is the showroom for Ian Shrager's incoming hotel-condo tower at 215 Chrystie, but that's just temporary. The showroom/sales office, not 215 Chrystie.)

The Real Deal explored some of the reasons why in an article this past week.

Such as!

Listing broker Patrick Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners said that the angular building presented a “bit of a puzzle” in terms of space configuration and said that Astor Place represents an “emerging retail corridor” that is forced to fill the gap between more popular retail destinations such as Union Square and Soho.

But! According to the article, expect to see some activity in this emerging 51 Astor retail corridor soon.

Three of the five retail spaces currently have leases out and they are in active pursuit on the other two — seeking a specialty fitness and a food tenant that sells prepared meals, according to Smith. [Developer Edward] Minskoff claims that Smith’s assessment of the leasing situation is modest, and that they are in fact finalizing leases for 100 percent of the retail space, to be announced within 30 to 40 days.

Previously on EV Grieve:
3 retail spaces available at 51 Astor Place (22 comments)

You can finally shop at 51 Astor Place!

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Noted



The Keith Haring sculpture outside 51 Astor now with snowball...



Thanks to EVG reader Russ for the photo

Monday, December 29, 2014

You can not spin the Keith Haring sculpture at 51 Astor Place



Workers have removed the barriers around the Keith Haring sculpture that sits in the public plaza at 51 Astor Place.

Several people have pointed out that it looks as the sculpture is on some type of turntable-swivel-something base…. meaning you could give it a spin. Maybe to make up for the temporarily displaced cube at Astor Place.



Anyway, after doing some field testing, the sculpture does not rotate.



So people will have to come up with different ways to interact with it.

The circa-1989 sculpture, titled "Self Portrait," arrived here on Dec. 2

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Report: $13 billion hedge fund coming to the Deathstar


[Photo via IBM]

Been meaning to relay this bit of news from The Real Deal last week:

Tudor Investment Corporation, a $13 billion hedge fund led by Robin Hood Foundation co-chairman Paul Tudor Jones II, is coming to Edward Minskoff's 51 Astor Place.

The hedge funders are taking the entire 11th floor. And maybe your soul.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Anchoring (and lighting) Keith Haring's 'Self Portrait' on Astor Place



Workers this afternoon are apparently anchoring the Keith Haring "Self Portrait" sculpture into place outside 51 Astor Place. (They were also adding lights to the base.)

The circa-1989 sculpture arrived here on Dec. 2 ... and it had a rather temporary look with the barriers set up around it...

And we still haven't heard if the work will be a permanent part of the public plaza outside the Death Star.

Thanks to Ray LeMoine for the photo

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Keith Haring sculpture arrives at 51 Astor Place



51 Astor Place, already sporting a Jeff Koons lobby rabbit, is home for now to this Keith Haring sculpture.

Workers this morning were preparing to install the "Self Portrait" from 1989.





No word at the moment if the sculpture (a replica?) is on loan or will be here permanently on Third Avenue at St. Mark's Place ...