The Fitzgerald

try: The Lenox, The Lenox Grand, 5th on Park, 50 West 127th st, Loft 124

The Fitzgergald is not only pretty ugly but the quality seems suspect....I was renting at the Douglas at the time of construction and saw that the maroon colored panels on the exterior of the building were actually wooden panels that were affixed to the building with metal brackets....it just didn't look like good quality.

371 West 117th Street

dg 156.. you're basing your opinion on the outside paneling of the building?

Have you looked at the units themselves and the price per sq foot?

I visited the units and am considering purchasing.. only fault I can see is that the common charges start off a bit higher than the competition.

airahcaz... what other buildings have you seen in the area? I know there are units still avail at 220 111th street. there are some 2 beds in there.. but the sq footage is less than the 1 beds in the Fitzgerald.

only other comparables are in the 130s.. where they're cheaper but the sq footage is not as much as in the Fitzgerald.

Regarding the ppsf at the Fitzgerald...I think it's a decent deal because all the "good" inventory out there seems to be more expensive (ie Loft 124, 50 West 127th St, Soha 118, etc.). I think the issue for me is that when you compare some of the other aforementioned developments, they are in a totally different league! and it's easily apparent. The inside of the units at the Fitzgerald weren't horrible but defintely were not among the best that I've seen in Harlem. 220 W 111th, on the other hand, is an outright joke....I recommend that you check it out if you'd like a good laugh. The units are so small and the ppsf is so outrageous it's no wonder they've been selling those units for like 2 years. I think that you should really exhaust yourself looking around before purchasing, if you haven't already.

any thoughts on lack of amenities? no gym, roof deck, full-time doorman, etc.

I had made an offer on a unit at the fitzgerald.. but I didn't realize that the ROOF and BASEMENT were SOLD with the TOP and FIRST FLOOR units.

There is no room for a future rooftop deck, storage, or a gym. The maintennce is SUPER HIGH for a building with NO Amenities besides a "virtual doorman".

The top and 1st floor units are listed for over a million.. 1.3 for one of them. I don't know why the developer decided to do that. They should have listed the top floors for 1 mill and not given them the entire roof. Then he could have made a roofdeck and fitness center.. which would have caused this building to sell out super fast. I think the interiors are super nice.. the windows are small.. but that's because they kept part of the original faces of the buildings.

If you don't care about amenities and don't mind high maintenance.. buy here.. but I think you can get more bang for your buck.. albeit with less sq footage.. elsewhere.

For what it is worth I thought that the kitchen appliances were really nice...in fact much nicer kitchens than I have seen in most new developments.

I thought ovens and refrigerator seemed pretty small. I have a medium-sized refrigerator in my current (rented) apartment, and I think the actual storage space inside both are comparable. The freezers in this apartment look large from the outside, but open them up and take a look. They're divided up into three drawers, immediately limiting flexibility. On top of that, half of the top drawer is dedicated to ice maker/storage, and half of the bottom drawer is unavailable (used for mechanical purposes).

To further harp on the kitchens, why the hydraulic hinges. They take up room in the cabinets (a lot of room in some of them) and they are inconsistently installed (vertical on some, horizontal on others). On top of that, what benefit do they offer? Am I really too lazy to open and close a cabinet by hand now?

I think 50w127th is nice. I think most of the most recent new developments up here are overpriced. Look at how long the townhouse units (I realize the issues) at Brownstone Lane II have been on the market. Not to mention the Lenox Grand, bad news in so many ways. By the way, I'm not certain, but I could swear this development was on the market quite some time ago, with different floorplans and marketing people.

The condo just got its TCO! Can't wait to move in!

holy fuckshit, those common charges are high. It has NO amenities!

Wonder how happy jackrivers is today?

Oh the joy of overpayment.
Hope he loves scuba diving...gonna be underwater for sometime.
Maybe they will change the name of the building to 'Davie Jone's Locker'.

How about Deepwater Horizon 2?

Prices may seem good compared with some of the other developments in the area, but the Fitzgerald
only has a 15 year tax abatement, whereas many of the others have a 25 year abatement. That is
worth a lot of money. And watch out for the sleazy sponsor's agent at the Fitzgerald.

Yeah so this place totally sucks for a buyer.

I do agree with jason10006, the place sucks for a buyer. At first I liked this building ( I visited it 3 times) but sometimes the space does not make it up for the lack of amenities especially for this high maintenance and the lack of tax abatement. most of the unsold units have been rented at least one year with little effect on the selling price ( even if from time to time they give away a unit for a very cheap price per square footage). The biggest units are amazing but the common over-sized one bedroom with home office have issues. the first deal breaker for me was the the visibly not flat floor on one of the line that denotes little attention to basic details. the second deal breaker is that you have nicer development around,cheaper and close to the express train on 125th. Just my 2cents ans believe me I wish success to all harlem developments.

'the the visibly not flat floor"

You mean its not level as in a ball will roll on the floor on its own? Not good.

Yeah I looked to rent there and the price was good but they insisted on no more than a 1-year lease. No way would I agree to that when so many other brand new places in harlem were (and are) offering 2-year leases. Leases that did not involve having potential buyers traipse through the place all the time.

looks like they have started to lower prices, I was not a big fan of the quality of work in this reno

i bought there so i'm biased - but i looked at 8 developments in central harlem - and i think the fitzgerald was the best - no amenities (pt doorman 3-12)live-in super but that wasn't important to me -- penthouses have private roof decks. compared to the other developments i thought the quality was the best - central heat/ac - no unsightly ac units etc. high end appliances, quiet, dog friendly. they lower prices awhile ago -- compared to other dev in area - best value - almost all units minimally 2bath 1.5 bed (interior room) but the .5 bed is large just no window/closet. some units have multiple walk in closets

btw - the taxes are abated

How much is the tax assessment that's abated?

Also, check your math. 1.5 bedroom minus .5 without a window means that it is a 1 bedroom, by law and by general opinion at resale.

We are planning on buying here, and will do a pre-purchase survey this week. Has anyone else already done one? Any interesting findings?

ncy10025, I'm looking at some places there now and would love any further insight into how the apartments are. Is there noise? How is the water pressure? Have common charges gone up? Do you find the neighborhood safe?

Thanks for any info.

Our inspector thought everything within the apartment was very well done. Good systems, good workmanship. Roof and exterior have some problems that could lead to future expenses.

what problems with roof and exterior?
no floor problems?