In 2010, health care entrepreneur Daniel Straus saw untapped potential in an assemblage the Whitney Museum had put together on the Upper East Side — six brownstones and two townhouses.
“A lot of people wouldn’t have touched it,” he told The Real Deal. “We saw something here that was a little different.”
On Monday night, over hors d’oeuvres and champagne, Straus unveiled a high-end luxury model of the Whitney Condos at 33 East 74th Street, where the 10 units are priced between $14.5 million and $45 million.
Straus and Douglas Elliman broker Katherine Gauthier are positioning the project as a different kind of foray into luxury condos, far from the glass-and-marble opulence at the base of Central Park.
“It’s the opposite of Billionaires’ Row,” said Gauthier. “It’s luxury living but in the context of preservation,” added Straus.
After paying $95 million to the Meatpacking District-bound Whitney Museum to scoop up the assemblage, Straus tapped architectural firm Beyer Blinder Belle to design the property while Champalimaud created the units’ interiors.
With custom millwork, molding, and bathrooms decked out in marble, the building blends 1890s flourishes with a warm-colored, clean modern design. The work on the five-story, 67,000-square-foot building, with restored facades, is expected to be completed by April. Five of the 10 units are already under contract, according to Gauthier.
The Whitney Condos’ three penthouses, six apartments and one townhouse range in price and size. Penthouse 1, at a little over 5,500 square feet, is priced at $39 million and features 10-foot ceilings, solid oak flooring and oversized windows. Penthouse 2, which boasts 4,800 square feet as well as a 2,900-square-foot terrace, is on the market for $37 million.
The final penthouse, Penthouse 3, which checks in at about 6,300 square feet, is in contract for $32 million. The third penthouse comprises the top three stories of the historic Atterbury Mansion and has a private elevator and four terraces.
The five-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot townhouse on the lower floors of Atterbury is in contract for $45 million, Gauthier said.
The lower-priced units at the Whitney Condos range from three-to-four-bedroom apartments between $14.5 million and $17.5 million.
Retail on the ground floor has been filled by high-end fashion brands Aquazzura and Moynat, according to sources. The three remaining retail units range in asking rent from $1,000 to $1,200 per square foot.