What the first four buyers get at the Copper Building

A few more details are rolling in regarding the Copper Building at 215 Avenue B and 13th Street.

From the Prudential Elliman Web site:

Our First BuyersRewards!!! The first four buyers to sign a contract at the Copper Building will have all their Common Charges and Taxes paid for the first TWO Years! New Construction. Private Presale Before Wide Release! Showings are Wednesdays from 12-2pm and Fridays from 2-4pm. The Copper Building is the latest luxury condominium project by the Steven B Jacobs Group. The 17 residences range from studios up to two bedroom penthouses and all feature floor-to-ceiling living room windows. No expense has been spared -- the kitchens are outfitted with granite countertops and high-end appliance packages. The bathrooms are complete with stone tiled floors and finishes from Zuma, Kohler, and Grohe. Many units also have private terraces or balconies. Building amenities include: full-time virtual doorman, sun deck, private storage, fitness center, and a private Zen garden.

As Curbed noted two weeks ago, the studios start at $475,000...and the four-bedroom penthouse is $3.6 million.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The ghost in you: Looking at 215 Ave. B

Looking at 45 John Street

Curbed has been reporting on the happenings at 45 John Street in the Financial District.



And, on Monday, The Real Deal reported 45 John had been hit with a $51 million foreclosure suit. (Downtowny has more here.) I also did a piece on 45 John last August.... and was curious to see what was happening for myself. For starters, the 45 John Street signage is gone.



The only evidence of 45 John Street is up 3/4 on the building.



The 45 John Street sales office was on the upscale Dutch Street....



...just down this inviting, scaffolding-covered passageway. When I walked down Dutch yesterday afternoon, I saw two men sleeping in the shadows on either side of the road.



The sales office door was closed, the sales office signage removed...and a reflective barrel was blocking the doorway.




There was some activity. There's still a security guard on duty. And yesterday afternoon, under his watchful eye, several workers hauled away dozens of empty carts.



Meanwhile, on the roof, the ritzy penthouses that were in the works...



...look like some giant Tonka toy.

Village Green ready for sales action

Village Green, the new condo going up at 311 E. 11th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, advertised in the Post's real-estate section yesterday. It aims to be the first LEED Gold certified building in the East Village. Prices at the former parking garage range from $730,000 to $1.9 million.

Meanwhile, here's some of the marketing copy on the 311 Web site that's now live:

Upon entering 311 E. 11: Village Green, you are greeted with a welcoming smile from the 24-hour doorman. From the ice white quartz floors to the embroidered accent walls, the lobby is the perfect fusion of modern elegance and 21st century technology.

The accompanying lounge by interior designer Andi Pepper is a serene go-to spot to meet new friends and greet old ones.

Here's one of the renderings of 311... there's a gym on the street level for the pervs to gawk...



And a word of caution once this place is open.... Watch out for the cars driving by at 125 mph! Hey, Vin Diesel!



For further reading:
New East Village Building Outed as Hippyish "Village Green" (Curbed)

P.S.
I just feel like hearing this now...

Looking at the LES: "Those bridge-and-tunnel places are what made this area better"

A few passages from the real-estate section in the Post today, specifically the cover story titled "More or LES."

The neighborhood, one of the city's largest — spanning from the Bowery east, from Houston to Canal streets — offers Manhattan's least expensive two- and three-bedroom rentals, averaging $3,023 and $4,095 a month, respectively, according to Citi Habitats' January data. (Compare that to $4,311 and $5,450 in Chelsea, and $5,086 and $7,169 in SoHo/TriBeCa.)

What about that kinda weird-looking Blue condo thing?

[T]he glass 16-story, 32-unit Blue condo, out of place among its five- and six-story neighbors, is a different story. It averaged $1,140 per square foot when it sold out, says Corcoran Group broker Barrie Mandel.

"The people who bought [at Blue] were people who 10 years ago would have bought in the Village and five years ago would have bought in SoHo and two years ago would have bought in NoLIta," Mandel says. "The majority of people have traditional work that they do all day long, they dress in a suit and tie, a dress and proper heels and come home at night and lead a different life, go to the clubs or the lounges."

What other changes have there been on the LES?

Since Anne Hugard moved to the Lower East Side in 2001, she has seen a dramatic transformation.

"There were no stores, and it was Chinatown to the south and very Puerto Rican to the east; that's what we liked about it," she says. "It got gentrified, which is good and bad. We enjoy the convenience of stores, but the drawback is that the population gets to be all the same."

Hmm, still. Is it safe?

"I've watched this area go from street fights to kids puking in the streets," says Chris Scott, co-owner of Fat Hippo, a newish restaurant on Clinton Street. "Those bridge-and-tunnel places are what made this area better."

Buy this FiDi condo on eBay for $529,000

And no payments until 2009!

Read the fine print here.