From The Peopling of New York City
Current Building Projects and City Trends
123 Baxter Street Condos. From www.JCDeniro.com
Slowly but surely, the trendy restaurants, exclusive boutiques, and luxurious condominiums of the Lower East Side are beginning to expand into Chinatown. These new apartments, such as Baxter Street Condominiums located at 123 Baxter Street, offer swank amenities that allow it to compete with the most luxurious SOHO lofts. It has the first automated parking lot, allowing owners to have their cars delivered to them in less than two and a half minutes, without requiring a parking attendant. The website also uses the “energy of Chinatown” in addition to the restaurants of Little Italy and the stores of SOHO as selling points. The Baxter Street Condominiums also have a twenty-four hour doorman, spacious terraces, and soundproof walls strong enough to mount flat-screen televisions. One block away is the Machinery Exchange Condo, located at 136 Baxter Street. It was originally the horse stable for the Police Headquarters and a warehouse for tool vendors, but has since been converted into luxurious lofts. The developer, Max Protech, is a famous gallery owner who showcased the early works of Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright, Rem Koolhaas, Michael Graves and Zaha Hadid, all famous architects of the 20th century. The Machinery Exchange Condo has everything from one bedrooms to duplexes, as prices range from 1.65 - 5 million dollars. The two 5 million dollar duplexes are 2,700 square feet each with a 1,600 square foot wrap around terrace. These three bedroom duplexes also have a forty foot long dinning/living room, with a working fireplace. According to the New York Daily News, an architectural insider described the condominiums as "the best loft conversion I have ever seen." These lofts have even garnered celebrity interest. Moby, Bjork, and the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers all considered making a bid. David Bowie and his wife Iman live a few blocks away. You know a neighborhood is gentrified when celebrities start moving in.
New Developments in Chinatown
Swank restaurants are also invading Chinatown. One of these new indulgent restaurants is Allen & Delancey, located at 115 Allen street. It opened in October 2007 under the management of Neil Ferguson, the former right-hand man of Gordon Ramsay. Examples of things on the menu are beef-bone marrow larded with caviar and pureed shallots, and terrine made with layers of pressed ham knuckle, guinea hen and foie gras. It is so hard to get a reservation that when I tried to make one for a Friday night, the hostess laughed and said “perhaps you are unfamiliar with our restaurant.” The gentleman whom I interviewed said “It’s not worth it for a $20 salad.”
Allen & Delancey. From www.allenanddelancey.net
Bacaro is an Italian wine bar and restaurant located at 136 Division Street and just opened in November, 2007. It is the second restaurant of Frank DeCarlo and his wife Dulcinea Benson, who also own the Nolita hotspot Peasant. Bacaro is a former two-floored aquarium that attracts New York’s most fashionable and hip crowds. The restaurant is filled with antiqued woods and exposed bricks that give it a rustic feel. The restaurant is renowned for its extensive wine menu. One woman who just dined at Bacaro said, “I think it’s beautiful and delicious, but kind of out of place in this neighborhood. I can’t imagine any locals from Chinatown coming here.”
Chic Boutiques are also beginning to open in Chinatown. The Earnest Sewn Co. is located at 90 Orchard Street and opened in September 2007. The Earnest Sewn Co. is home to some of the finest Japanese, American and Turkish denim. You can buy a pair of jeans for $185 to $240 off the rack. If you can’t find any jeans to your liking, you can custom make your own for anywhere from $500 to $900. A sixteen year-old girl whom I interviewed just designed her own pair of jeans out of exclusive Japanese denim, considered some of the finest in the world. Her measurements were taken and the jeans will be ready in two to four weeks. They cost her about $750, but she claims they are worth every penny since they’ll fit her “like a glove.” She lives in Gramercy Park and her father is a hedge fund manager. Many celebrities and all of her friends also shop at The Earnest Sewn Co., in addition to other close boutiques. When I asked her if she thought any of Chinatown’s locals could afford $750 jeans, she giggled and replied “I highly doubt it.” They even offer complimentary tea, coffee and soda from their mini-bar if you get thirsty while you are being measured.
The Earnest Sewn Co. From www.racked.com
