Donald Trump likes to name his buildings after himself, sometimes adding giant golden or neon letters to remind passerby of its creator. The Durst Organization took this deification idea more literally by naming their building after a Greek goddess.
EŌS, the Greek goddess of the dawn, is the namesake for Durst’s third rental building in New York City, a 47-story mixed-use tower at 855 Sixth Avenue near Herald Square. During a tour provided to The Real Deal of the new building on Thursday, Helena Durst, Douglas Durst’s daughter and chief administration officer at the Durst Organization, said the company wanted to grant the building an “established name on its own.” Two of its other residential buildings are already named after members of the Durst family, including Helena 57 West and Frank 57 West, the latter of which is named after Helena’s son. Naming the building EŌS creates an independent, commercial identity for the building, she said.
It also primes the building for marketing. In Greek mythology, EŌS caused the sun to rise by opening the gates of heaven, so the idea here is that the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows have similar power, granting choice views of the Empire State Building, Hudson Yards and portions of the Hudson River. The views are thanks, in part, to the design of the residential portion of the building, which is stacked on top of and setback from its commercial base. Residences above the 20th floor or so have unobstructed views of the skyline. And serendipitously, as Durst spokesperson Jordan Barowitz pointed out, Nike — which is leasing 147,000 square feet of office space and is working to create a company-themed gym in the building — is also named for a deity, the Greek goddess of winged victory. Girl power, indeed.
View of Empire State Building from 38th floor of 855 Sixth Avenue
In April, the Durst Organization and Fetner Properties dissolved their $740 million residential development partnership, with Durst buying Fetner’s stake in 855 Sixth Avenue and Fetner acquiring Durst’s stake in 125 West 31st Street.
EŌS has 375 rental units, 20 percent of which are affordable as part of the now-defunct 421a tax abatement program. Leasing began this week, and tenants are expected to start moving in July 1. The rooftop amenities, which include a fireplace, resident lounge, poker room and party room, will open in September. Studios start at $3,800, one bedrooms at 4,500, two-bedrooms at $6,300 and two-bedroom apartments with dens start at $10,000.
Like Durst’s other new rental, the Bjarke Ingels-designed Via57, the interiors are fairly plain, employing a color scheme of mostly brown, beige and white. However, its uniform glass curtainwall, designed by CookFox Architects, is bit more understated than its tetrahedral West Side counterpart. The ceilings in residences rise nine to 10 feet high and the floors are oak veneer. The building’s cellar will feature a Nike-themed fitness center and a swimming pool. Helena Durst said that the apartments are “condo grade” and intended to create a sense of home in a rental.
“The idea is you don’t really need to leave the building,” she said.