listed for $599,000, this unit at 225 Central Park West could also be probably the greatest thefts in the town in 2023. There is in fact an enormous catch. You won’t see any Peeping Toms spying within the windows of this 500-square-foot lobby-level pied-à-terre, only a hop, hop, and hop from Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History.
That’s because unit 107 doesn’t have any windows. Instead, it has fireflies. Compass, which listed the one-bedroom property on the Upper West Side earlier this month, describes it as a “unicorn” – in addition to the undeniable fact that it’s legal housing.
Meanwhile, inquisitive minds on Reddit, where the list is popular on the Ridiculous Real Estate subreddit, they ask, “How come this Central Park West apartment has no windows, only skylights?” The answer, in line with a fellow realtor representing the home, is straightforward: the prewar constructing it’s in was built before the enactment of New York’s current fire code.
Indeed, Alden dates back to 1926 when it opened as an apartment hotel. The 16-story, 234-unit structure was designed by Emery Roth – creator of the San Remo, El Dorado and Ritz Tower – which, when accomplished in 1925, was New York City’s tallest residential constructing.
Today, Alden is a luxury estate where residents can enjoy “attentive service with white gloves” and amenities similar to a 24-hour doorman, laundry, bicycle storage, garage and roof garden. Has 4 other listings available, all with windows, from 525 thousand for the studio to $4.95 million for 2 bedrooms, two bathrooms with a panoramic view of the park. As for Block 107, it has a complete of two skylights – one within the bedroom and one within the front room.
“The skylights meet constructing code requirements, which principally involves calculations for each light and air based on floor area” said Jonathan Lerner, owner of Five Corners Properties, a luxury boutique agency based in New York. Still, Lerner is the primary to confess that the shortage of traditional windows reduces the worth of a house by at the very least $100,000. Based on his experience, the more glass a house has, the more glass it needs.
Despite how normal they’re today, windows are a comparatively latest phenomenon in New York City. For almost 300 years, tons of of 1000’s of inhabitants lived in cramped neighborhoods with little or no light and air. When the town selected these inhumane conditions they literally killed peoplethey passed the Tenement Houses Act 1901. It required latest buildings to have adequate ventilation and something else they lacked: indoor toilets.
As for this house, it was probably a warehouse or maid’s quarters in a past life – and the listing refers to it as an apartment. Compass real estate broker Brian Lewis declined to comment on the ad, saying his client values his privacy. (Conjecture.)
For other New Yorkers, living in a windowless apartment is not about avoiding nosy neighbors, it’s about money.
“Ten years ago, I lived in a windowless bedroom [the Lower East Side] since it was all I could afford” writes one in every of the redditors. “Honestly, I might do it again, best sleep of my life.”
During a pandemic Trey Taylor, a thirty-something editorial director, lived in a 64-square-foot windowless loft in Brooklyn since it was inside his $800 monthly budget. He appreciated his “hole” when it got here to curing hangovers and conducting séances. He also had an amazing excuse for not becoming a plant dad like so many other New Yorkers during quarantine.
“To simulate nature and ignore my problems, I go to sleep to the sounds of virtual crickets coming from my Google Home Mini speaker” wrote in pieces for Curbed. “I purchased a small projector and now project long videos of the atmosphere on the wall above my bed – crashing waves, cafe scenes, the view of the train driver. Life in 480p.
Still, Taylor told the Post he would never pay for a windowless life again. He won’t even consider this luxury development in Central Park West with its nice bathroom, chrome steel appliances, central air con and skylights.
“With such a maintenance fee [$1,373/month]at the very least you’d expect something without breaking your neck,” he said.
Still, Alison Wilkinson, a luxury architect and interior designer who splits her time between New York and Washington, sees potential on this. Her primary piece of recommendation for anyone moving in is to concentrate on lighting.
“When you are coping with a cave, it is best to put in lighting at different heights to create visual interest and meet different needs,” she said.
Whoever is moving in should still want to take a position in some shades. Just since you haven’t got to fret about Peeping Toms does not imply you haven’t got to fret about Chinese spy balloons.
