205 West 57th - The Osborne

I live two blocks away -- amazing neighborhood, one of the most convenient in the city, great park access, shopping, restaurants, but fairly loud. Osborne sells slowly because it is a high cash building and many units need some degree of renovation, but it is certainly "grand."

Weird salacious tidbit: Gig Young shot himself there.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Next stop, Willoughby?

OMG, I think about him as the light-hearted "That Touch of Mink" guy so I had totally forgotten about the Twilight Zone, but you're SO right.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Ali - Thanks for the comments, as well as the trip down memory lane! Do you happen to know if the building is all owner occupied or are there still holdovers from back in the day? Any sense of why there are so many units on the market (other than the high cash requirement)?

New, I am sort of moderately strong on Midtown West -- my firm's focus is Chelsea/Tribeca/Village, but people keep asking me questions about this neighborhood because I live here --

but I can't answer the question about owner occupancy because I haven't done a deal in the building, sorry. (Buildings give owner-occupancy answers in response to a questionnaire from the purchaser's lender, so only the managing agent and brokers who have done recent deals in the building know what that number is).

As far as "why so many for sale?" I see 10 actives of which five are one-bedrooms -- my guess is that given the size of those units and location, they're pied-a-terres which are being shed by multiple-home owners who are economizing.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Good point. Not to bother you, I hope, but since you live in the neighborhood, can you suggest any other architecturally "interesting" (not Post War/Modern) buildings that I should look at? I am not in the high end CPW class of buyer (sigh) but would like to be near the Park for running and dog happiness purposes!

the building has all unique apartments, no one unit is the same, this was a very grand building and during the depression they cut the apartments up, the lobby is very impressive, the units are hit & miss, you need to actually see each unit as they are all different. I live next to the Osborne, and i have looked at several apts. in the building. The building has very strict financial rules. Look at Alywn Court (across the street), that building has excellent layouts and is one of the most beautifull buildings in NYC inside and out.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out.

I second the compliments for Alwyn Court, but I'd add: $$$.

New2me, come look at my building -- the Parc Vendome. (333 W. 56th, 353 W. 56th, 340 W. 57th, and 350 W. 57th).

It was the first "nice" apartment building built West of Eighth Avenue -- and when it condo'd (in the 80s, I think) it was given a suite of lovely amenities rooms. No gym and dowdy hallways, but one of the nicest gardens around -- our garden is used as a large selling point for the Sheffield, which looks down at it.

Staff is great & building is very doggy (no dogs in the garden, though).

I don't know what size apt. you're looking for - the Vendome is a little stronger on smaller apartments than on big ones.

Happy to have coffee with you and give you a tour if you're in the area.

ali r.
{downtown broker -- ali [at] dgneary [dot] com; please put "streeteasy" in the subject line}

Ali - Thank you for the kind offer. We did look at a rental at the Parc Vendome. Beautiful buildings and garden courtyard. We're looking for 1800-2000 sqft which seems difficult to find at the PV. Definitely the right vibe for us though - a charming pre-war complex.

Well, the coffee offer still stands if you move into my hood!

Sorry you can't come to the PV, but the people on our floor who did a combo that size are definitely staying in it! Did you see the rental in the Briarcliffe, or is that not enough BRs for you?

ali r.
{downtown broker}

I love the PV. If I ever decide seriously to look again, and to get over my downtown bias, I'd love to find something there.

As for the Osborne, the maintenance is quite high in that building, nobody has mentioned that fact. Anybody know why? We kind of considered a few units in that building but walked away due to the renovation costs and the maintenance levels.

Lived in the PV for a while, absolultely loved it. It's in a wonderful neighbourhood, close to Columbus Circle and the Park, building very well maintained and the staff is very friendly.

I just wish those Parc Vendome prices weren't so high. Lots of outrageously priced joins, I think. It does look like a great building, although the amenities are from the wrong era.

Aptmaven, one problem is that the PV's old "health club" space -- which is in dire need of renovation -- is just too small to put in a modern health club. So you have a 600-unit building that, because of its architectural constraints, is never going to have a gym in it.

That's one factor that pushed a lot of buyers into the Sheffield, which due to financial constraints, had its gym run late ...

But the other amenities are great. We have parties in the banquet rooms a couple of times a year, and we held our rehearsal dinner there.. and it's almost sundeck time!

ali r.
{downtown broker}

ali,
Thanks for the response. A gym is one of those amenities that can make higher maintenance palatable because it is easy for a couple to spend $200 a month on gym memberships. It is too bad that they don't have space for a modern facility. Otherwise, I am sure it is a terrific place to live.

Ali, am I correct in thinking the Sheffield is now in foreclosure?

my mistake, no it is not

Ali, is the PV's health-club space still going to get turned into apartments? I saw something in ACRIS a while ago that indicated that was the plan.

how to put this? I believe the health-club space will be turned into apartments just as I believe that Second Avenue's getting a subway.

ali r.
[downtown broker}

You mean they'll all just get hallways? Kind of like the subway will exist between 86th and 79th streets?

I was excited about the Sheffield 57 for about ten minutes. Might be a new record. A quick read on this site convinced me that I would be visiting their in-house psychiatric services if I bought there.

LOL

ali r.
{downtown broker]

In reference to the maint fee it does include basic cable and utilities

Just in case you are still considering the Osborne it is a 50 percent cash bldg and all units are owner occupied. Hope this helps. Ellen

The Osborne- get ready to have 2.5 times the cost of the unit in completely liquid funds AFTER the closing in order to even be considered as a buyer. Nazi board...

Ali, What do people do for schools in this area? Is ps111 any good?

300_mercer, as a real estate licensee I can't comment on schools (to do so violates Fair Housing laws). If you ask the urbanbaby boards the same question, I think you'll get helpful answers.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

PS 111 - terrible. But if you can get over the K-5 hump, District 2 has a goodly number of palatable middle and high school choices.

Lately, I have been mulling a move to West 57th for school reasons. Still have two kids going to school uptown, and 57th is a reasonable school run to UWS as well as opening up the world of D2 schools for eldest child.

Interesting, 10023. I love West 57th (west of 8th Avenue only) but I don't think of it as being particularly family friendly in the way that the UWS is. I know its only a few blocks but somehow the park seems more distant and the whole area less kid oriented than it is a few blocks north. I am assuming if you did move, you could rely on previously established relationships with UWS institutions.

Does the UWS not the middle and high school options that are available in D2? For some reason I thought that post-elementary schools were open on a citywide basis. But I am obviously wrong here.

Native - won't go into details right now but yes, many more options HS and middle than UWS district 3. I love parc vendome and Osborne for different reasons.

Just curious - unless you consider Whole Foods in the mall that is Time Warner a "local" supermarket, where are the other supermarkets near Parc Vendome or the Osborne?

Both seem very "un-neigborhoody" to me.

@Ph41: 24/7 Morton Williams on 58th and 9th. Walgreens on 57th and 9th. 24/7 CVS on 57th and 8th (with lots of groceries/food). 24/7 Morton Williams on 57th between 7th and 6th.

Never mind the penthouse snob. This is what that area of Manhattan is and she knows nothing of that area.
soho42, that comment is from almost 2 years ago. If the penthouse snob wants "neigborhoody", then the snob can move . Far East 41st street in Manhattan is "un-neigborhoody" even if you own a penthouse.

Yet another good thread completely ruined by trUth.

:(

Morton Williams sucks. The most overpriced store, particularly in terms of fresh food, in the city.

She is toxic. And is a horrible writer.

"Toxic", is better than the stink of aboUtreadyfornothing who is the most useless commenter on se. She is such a great writer, yet she can't get a job writing nor any other job anywhere, doing anything. A completely useless, childish person with the emotional intelligence of a four-year-old pre-schooler.

Meltdown on it's way. Why don't you bring up the personal lives of my children again? That was so classy.

10011, what kind of children do you have?

Splendiferous ones

They sound spoiled.

I said nothing, nor did I "bring up the personal lives of (your) children again. That was so classy."
You brought/ just wrote about that topic, yet again. Very "classy". Go to sleep, you loser!
Your meltdown (one of many) is here for all to see and also on the ""80 % carpet rule" discussion thread.
An unattended childish, emotionally deficient "parent", still using the "personal lives of (her) children again..."
Go to sleep, loser. It's 10:20 pm on a Saturday night. Finally good weather in NYC, yet she's here on se, with the same old prattle. Go to sleep, loser. Save yourself from more ridicule.

Are these real "children"?

I really don't want to get involved in this discussion, trUth, but I have to say I think it's highly highly inappropriate of you to comment about another poster's children or her parenting skills.

This isn't Gertz, you know.

Hilarious. What are you doing here on this nice evening? Meltdown.

This must be one of those 47 hour weekends.

Well, aboUtready just brought up that "highly inappropriate comment about her "children..." as usual, she brings them up and then decides to try to deflect from her comments.
The truth is to be found here and on the ""80% carpet rule" discussion. Another aboutready meltdown in progress.
Go to sleep, loser . It's 10:39 pm on "nice evening" Saturday night 3/7/15

What kind of children are these?

What kind of children are these? These can't be real children. I don't believe these are real children.

Hard to believe that she is a real parent. She just brought up the topic of "her children" for yet another meltdown in her ongoing comments about them. She will lash out at others for the blame of her meltdowns. Go to sleep, aboutready loser.

Edloseyc reminds me of that old lady who used to post on SE. The funny thing is she was a baglady who pretended to be an aged groupie who made believe she was a hack "music PR" (whatever that is). Yet nobody ever heard of her. Huh.

You can't say baglady.

More dumb nonsense from the trolls aboutready and alanhart.

aren't you saying "look at me....look at me?"

Hey, c0lumbiac0unty. Did you enjoy your pedicure?

The sad plight of the make-believe clientless publicist.

Is aptmaven the same as New2me?

Only 1 apartment available at the Osborne.

My father and stepmother lived there from the late '60s to about 1979. The O was nice to come home to from college.