Original article published by AD PRO
Written by Dan Avery
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From high-profile design commissions to exciting listings, there is always something new happening in the world of real estate. In this roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.
On the Market
Old Hollywood is ready for its close-up
A slice of Hollywood history is now available, as a Los Angeles apartment that was supposed once home to golden age icons Katharine Hepburn and Ava Gardner is on the market for $1.25 million.
Now a condo building, the
Shoreham was built by MGM Studios in 1937 as a Hollywood Regency–style hideaway for a litany of stars, including Marlene Dietrich, Joan Fontaine, Mary Martin, Olivia de Havilland, and Veronica Lake.
Though Apartment #A has been newly remodeled, it still offers classic elements, including a formal dining room with traditional wainscoting. “The romantic architecture is meant for someone who appreciates a storied history but who still values modern amenities and finishes,”
Michael Nourmand of Nourmand & Associates, who
holds the listing with Adam Sires, tells AD PRO.
Tucked away on a tree-lined cul-de-sac, the wrought iron gated building “effortlessly exudes Old Hollywood glamour with manicured gardens, lily ponds, and classic fountains,” Nourmand adds.
Outside of the Shoreham, which Katharine Hepburn supposedly once called home. Photo: Jeff Elson
An Avatar-themed home lists for $15 million in Boca Raton
James Cameron’s Avatar was a hit with moviegoers, so it shouldn’t be surprising that someone modeled their home after the 2009 sci-fi epic.
And while the $14.95 million asking prices for 9614 Pondwood Road in Boca Raton, Florida, is far short of the movie’s $2 billion box office, it’s nothing to sneeze at either.
After seeing the movie, Sri Lankan businessman Suramya Atapattu added elements from Pandora to Villa Florentyna, his five-acre property, including extra-worldly landscaped grounds and “experiential walking paths” lit with Avatar-inspired illumination effects among the bamboo and palm trees.
The grounds also have a 40-foot waterfall, a lily pond with dozens of koi, and life-size statues of a grizzly bear, a velociraptor, and a rhinoceros that echo the Na’vis’ respect for nature.
“They are designed to look natural to the land, and I think my neighbors believe they’re real animals,” Atapattu told the Wall Street Journal.
Behind hand-carved 13-foot wood doors, the Bali-Esque home houses six bedrooms, seven full baths, and two half baths, plus a soundproof movie theater, gym, and home office.
Chad Carroll & Matthew Dugow with Compass have the listing.
Villa Florentyna. Photo: The Carroll Group
Milestones
208 Delancey tops out on the LES
Architecture firm ODA celebrated the topping out at
208 Delancey on November 19, alongside Bentley Zhao, chair of developer New Empire Corporation, and reps from Compass, the 85-unit condo’s exclusive leasing agent.
The undulating façade of the 12-story Manhattan tower will incorporate curved balconies and oversized windows, with brass and copper elements that reflect natural light. The goal, said Zhao, is “offering residents a calming oasis to come home to” amid the bustling retail and nightlife of the Lower East Side.
Sales launched in May, with
active listings ranging from $625,000 for a studio to $1.99 million for a two-bedroom.
A preview of 208 Delancey. Image: Courtesy of ODA
Brooklyn Tower reaches record height
Construction topped out on October 28 on the
Brooklyn Tower at 9 Dekalb Avenue, the borough’s first super-tall skyscraper.
According to JDS Development Group, the 1,066-foot building will house 550 units on 93 stories—with a mixture of rentals and, on the upper levels, residences for purchase. It will also be home to a 100,000-square-foot retail podium that incorporates the adjacent Dime Savings Bank building, designed by Mowbray and Effinger in 1908.
SHoP Architects took inspiration from the landmarked structure with an exterior clad in stone, bronze, and stainless steel and vertical features that mirror the bank’s columns.
Douglas Elliman is the exclusive sales and leasing agent for the building, which is expected to welcome residents in 2022.
The SHoP Architects-designed tower. Photo: Gary Hershorn/JDS Development Group
The Standard branches beyond hotels
The Standard is the latest hotel group to put its unique stamp on residential developments, starting with
The Standard Residences Midtown Miami, expected to break ground next year with a 2023 completion date.
Centrally positioned between the Design District and Wynwood, the 12-story building designed by Arquitectonica will house 228 pied-à-terre-style residences ranging from studios to two bedrooms, plus unique shared spaces including a karaoke bar, rooftop restaurant, and pickleball courts.
Embracing the “flexible living” trend, developers are allowing owners to lease out their units for one month a time.
“We are giving our loyal guests, and fans of what we do from around the world, the opportunity to live The Standard in a way that recognizes how the next generation wants to live,” said Amar Lalvani, executive chair of the Standard International, in a statement.
The Standard Residences, midtown Miami. Image: Courtesy of The Standard Residences, Midtown Miami
In the News
Manhattan luxury sales continue to stun
It was another peak week for luxury real estate in Manhattan, with 67 properties going into contract at $4 million or above between November 15 and 21. That’s the most of the year, according to
real estate maven Donna Olshan’s weekly report, and the fifth time in 2021 that 50 or more deals were signed at that level.
Condos outsold co-ops 45 to 16, though the biggest deal was a $29.5 million townhouse on East 68th Street that had been on the market since July.
In all, the total weekly sales volume of $613,744,899 was the strongest performance since the Olshan report was launched in 2006.
