Prestigious Panel of Experts to Discuss Past, Present and Future of City’s Most Iconic Neighborhood at 20 Pine The Collection

A select group of downtown’s leading community specialists will convene on Tuesday, Nov. 29 for a panel discussion on the transformation of New York’s historic Financial District (FiDi). The event, hosted by 20 Pine The Collection, will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the luxury condominium and will address the influences that have shaped the neighborhood today as well as what to expect for the FiDi of tomorrow.

20 Pine The Collection, now nearly 95 percent sold, is the premier condominium development of FiDi, and is organizing the event to not only celebrate the way the neighborhood is flourishing, but also to acknowledge and understand what has brought it such success.

“We believe we’re at a pivotal moment of growth in the history of the Financial District,” said Lori Ordover, managing member of The Ordover Group, sales and marketing consultant for Africa-Israel USA, developers of 20 Pine The Collection. “It’s an honor to come together with this esteemed team of experts to acknowledge downtown’s many milestones and to look forward to future ventures.”

One of the evening’s notable lineups includes Stephanie Jennings, assistant vice president for economic development at the Alliance for Downtown New York, the country’s largest business improvement district, where she manages economic and real estate market research and analysis. Jennings most recently led a team in producing the State of Lower Manhattan 2011, the definitive report assessing a decade of progress within the district’s real estate market and economy.

In addition, New York City historian and tour guide Joyce Gold will bring to the panel her insights on the neighborhood’s streets and the people who’ve walked and shaped them throughout the years.

Finally, Julie Shapiro, downtown Manhattan reporter for DNAinfo.com, will moderate the talk.

Attendees will meet at 20 Pine in penthouse 12, a 1,829-square foot, one-bedroom, two-bathroom home with amazing views and a 523-square-foot terrace, and will be welcome to interact with the speakers following the panel discussion.

Luxury Condominiums, 20 Pine The Collection and 75 Wall Street, Collaborate To Host Summer Open House Tours

Two premier residential buildings in the Financial District (FiDi), 20 Pine The Collection and 75 Wall Street, are collaborating to host a unique open house event exclusively for brokers. On Wednesday, August 10 from 4 to 6 p.m., those attending will wine and dine and tour spectacularly elegant homes at each development.

With only around 25 residences remaining, 20 Pine is entering the very final phase of its sales program. Here, where the evening will begin, brokers will have an opportunity to view the special architectural elements that make the building so popular with luxury buyers – including wonderful historical features dating back to 1928, its large variety of floor plans and the beautiful Armani/Casa interiors, and the unsurpassed amenities which have attracted buyers since sales initially began.

75 Wall Rooftop

While walking through residences #2503, #3104 and Penthouse 12, 20 Pine’s remarkable modeled homes that were staged by designer Christopher Crawford, founder of fashion label, Company of We and Cue, brokers that attend will enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and then be able to take the brief walk over to 75 Wall Street to view the FiDi’s other breathtaking luxury condominium.

“This is an inspiring and unusual event for brokers all around New York City. They’ll have the opportunity to visit open house tours in two of the city’s finest condominiums,” said Deborah DeMaria of Warburg Marketing Group, 20 Pine’s exclusive sales and marketing firm.

Rooftop at 20 Pine The Collection

The addition of residential buildings like 20 Pine and 75 Wall Street have attracted countless local restaurants, convenience stores and fine shops to the ever-growing Financial District once a virtual after-hours ghost town and now one the hottest enclaves in all of Manhattan. In recent years, FiDi has virtually transformed from a strictly Monday through Friday “laborhood” into a bustling, 24/7 family-friendly area.

“This event will reveal that the Financial District is simply the most modern residential neighborhood to live in,” DeMaria emphasized.

20 Pine The Collection Hosts Lower Manhattan Historical Presentation

Nearly 50 members of the Foreign Press Association recently turned out for a presentation about the history of Lower Manhattan hosted by New York City historian and architectural expert Tony Robins. The event was held at 20 Pine The Collection, a luxury-condominium conversion of the former Morgan Guaranty Trust building (later Chase Manhattan Bank’s headquarters) – itself a landmark.

Members who attended the event represented publications from as far away as Nigeria, Japan, Israel, Uruguay, Germany and Poland – to name a few. Many chose to attend the event as a way of enhancing their own historical knowledge and to provide the basis for future stories about this nationally significant region.

Chris Gisiger, U.S. editor of the Zurich-based Finanz und Wirtschaft, said one of the highlights of the presentation was a tour through the impressive amenity spaces at 20 Pine, some formerly bank vaults for gold replete with original vault doors weighing 45 tons each.

“It’s exciting to learn about the history and architecture of the Downtown Financial District,” Gisiger said. “Robins really brought the history to life.”

From left to right: New York City historian and architectural expert, Tony Robins with Lori Ordover, Managing Member of the Ordover Group at 20 Pine’s walking tour.

The lecture was held inside what was once a banking office – now an oversized two-bedroom, 1,800-square-foot home with dramatic views of the New York Stock Exchange, and two giant King Tut sculptures jutting from the balcony, priced at $2,415,000. Following the presentation, Robins led the group on a walking tour of some of the great sites and landmarks.

A former member of the New York Landmarks Commission, Robins delivered a visually compelling presentation, with highlights of the neighborhood’s nearly 400-year-old history.

“It’s the oldest part of New York in terms of the where the city was built,” said Robins, speaking about Lower Manhattan. “Downtown started as a Dutch colony and later became the site of the first archeological build and the first skyscrapers, the nation’s first capital and a hub for Internet technology. It’s rich and complex.”

As part of the presentation, Robins spoke about how recent historical events played a role in transforming Lower Manhattan into a thriving and popular residential neighborhood – noting that tax abatements in the 90’s helped encourage residential redevelopment as the prevalence of the Internet began uprooting financial firms from their homes in the Financial District.

Today, half of Wall Street is no longer financial; and the area is teeming with both residents and tourists.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the building and the surrounding neighborhood to members of the foreign press,” said Lori Ordover, managing member of the Ordover Group, a consultant for 20 Pine, noting that 40 percent of the building’s buyers are foreigners. “This neighborhood has such a rich history; we are proud that 20 Pine is an integral part of Lower Manhattan’s past, present and future.”

The Armani/Casa-designed 20 Pine provides luxury living on an unprecedented scale. With 67 unique floor-plan designs, buyers have the ability to choose homes to match their lifestyles.  Units offer nine- to-13-foot beamed ceilings and oversized windows that provide an abundance of space and light. All residences are outfitted with custom-designed kitchens by Bontempi, a premium Italian manufacturer. Kitchens feature a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Fisher & Paykel dishwasher and stainless steel Miele cook top.

20 Pine has 409 homes and 30,000 square feet of amenity spaces that include four lounges, state-of-the-art gym, indoor pool and spa. Other amenities include a golf-simulation room, billiard room and private subway access. Residents on floors 25 and above have access to 24-hour concierge service provided by Quintessentially. The property is over 90 percent sold. Warburg Marketing is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for 20 Pine.

Winter Amenity Alert: 20 Pine-Financial District Condos

The person who said “you can’t beat Mother Nature” must not have had private subway access.  After shoveling out from the last blizzard, New Yorkers can look forward a forecast filled with snow and its attendant inconvenience and drudgery.  But 20 Pine The Collection  has  a solution — a private secured subway entrance to the 2,3,4,5, J and M trains.  Residents need only take the elevator a few floors down to the sub-cellar level, where they can gain a snow free access to a passage that leads to the Chase Plaza Concourse. When returning home, 20 Pine residents can access the sub-cellar level through a private underground walkway via secure key card.  The private walkway leads right to elevator banks that whisk residents to their homes.


A transportation option that was once the private perk of Presidents is not the only amenity at 20 Pine sure to keep the winter blues away. With 30,000 square feet of amenity spaces, one need not be bothered to leave the building and expose himself to the elements. A 20 Pine resident who finds his flight to Bermuda grounded by weather conditions can console himself with 20 Pine’s Full Swing ™ Golf Simulator.  He can play a virtual round of golf anywhere from St. Andrews to Pebble Beach as he imagines the sounds of ocean waves hitting the beach, and he doesn’t have to worry about sitting on the tarmac at LaGuardia for hours upon his return.


A full service spa, Complete Body, located on the basement level is a haven for residents, offering everything from Swedish deep tissue massages to microdermabrasion facials. “Our most popular Spa Escape package during the winter months is called Euphoria, it’s a scrub that exfoliates and nourishes the skin followed by a hydrating wrap, facial and massage,” says Complete Body’s Aleca Borsuck, noting that it’s not uncommon for residents to come down for treatments in their bathrobes.

20 Pine also offers a 60-foot swimming pool located in a converted bank vault that dates back to when the building was Chase Manhattan Bank headquarters. Residents can engage in yoga, Pilates and cardio kickboxing in 20 Pine’s state-of-the-art fitness center. Other facilities to keep resident entertained include the Billiards Room with 2 regulation sized tables and four lounges, providing venues to meet, listen to music, play games or read.

For the residents who live on 20 Pine’s upper floors, a dedicated elevator accesses the Concierge Lounge, where a continental breakfast is served daily, and where you’ll find Quintessentially, a concierge service regarded as one of the most elite in the world. Quintessentially routinely secures reservations at restaurants in town and abroad, exclusive invitations to screenings of soon-to-be-released films or access to private lounges, the Sundance Film Festival and V.I.P passes to New York City’s Fashion Week.

Financial District, The Post!

financial-district-condos

With more than 3,000 new units hitting the market over the last five years, there certainly is no shortfall of availabilities in the Financial District. With that being said, the Financial District is making a big push to lure buyers from more established New York City neighborhoods with the offering of real estate tax incentives, astounding amenities and a more recent campaign highlighting the influx of restaurants, nightlife, and luxury retail stores. New residents of selected developments are provided invitations to pick up gift bags that include a $75 Thomas Pink gift card, 30% off a purchase at Canali, $50 gift card to the Setai Spa, and a $35 gift card and box of chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat, among others. The gift bags, with a photo seen up above, is an apparent attempt to show that you can remain in the area and find the same shopping as you’d find on Fifth Avenue. While we are not ready to declare the Financial District as the new Fifth Avenue, the area is, by far, the fastest growing residential area in New York City. Combined with the city’s best transportation options (14 Subway lines, a PATH station, numerous express bus lines and ferry route, and the Downtown Manhattan Heliport) and buyer friendly pricing, we are happy to recommend the Financial District as a neighborhood you should consider when buying your next home!

The Financial District is not going to be for everyone. We think the area can still use more convenient grocery store options and more of a nightlife scene, but we feel what the area lacks is made up in the apartment pricing, real estate tax benefits and amenities. After careful consideration, we have chosen the following three buildings with developer owned units as our favorites:

20 Pine: The Collection, 20 Pine Street
Developer: Leviev Boymelgreen
Sales and Marketing: Shvo Marketing

20pineWe wrote about 20 Pine Street in December highlighting an available 1 bedroom that hit the market as a resale. With over 80% of the 408 units closed and another 10% in contract, the developer of 20 Pine: The Collection is nearing the end of their tumultuous ride with this project. Launched in early 2006 through an aggressive ad campaign done by Shvo Marketing and boasting a 24 hour sales office, the project has seen its share of trouble. However, after a recent visit to the building, not only did we find that the building was complete, but the available apartments are being offered at prices that no other building in the area can beat.

Located in the heart of the Financial District, 20 Pine boasts a number of high end amenities ranging from the large roof terrace on the 25th floor, state of the art gym, swimming pool, winter lounge, billiards room, golf simulator and a Turkish steam room. Each unit comes with sleek modern interiors designed by Armani including high ceilings, ebony hardwood floors, rainforest shower, Brazilian wood enclosed deep soaking tub, Sub-Zero/Fisher Paykel/Miele Kitchen Appliances and Asko Washer/Dryer.

20 Pine TerracePricewise, the average $/Sq Ft currently sits around $1,100/sq ft with units available from the Sponsor at under $900/sq ft. Common charges are under $1/sq ft with taxes currently fully abated. Surprisingly, another appeal, which we think should find buyers some piece of mind, is the building’s financial footing. With over $1.5MM in reserves and the Sponsor owning only a handful of Units left, buyers should not be concerned when thinking about purchasing at the building.

75 Wall Condominium Residences, 75 Wall Street
Developer: The Hakimian Organization
Sales and Marketing: Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group

75wallstreetWith immediate occupancy and both rentals and sales available, 75 Wall is the perfect place to call home for anyone looking for hotel style living. Designed by the award winning Rockwell Group, 75 Wall features 350 condominium units on the upper 24 floors and 250 hotel suites in the lower portion. As part of the Hyatt Corporation’s five star luxury lifestyle brand, Andaz, condominium residences have access to all of the hotel services including room service, catering, housekeeping, valet laundry, full-time personal concierge, etc. Additionally, residences can enjoy 24 hour doorman, state of the art fitness center, club room, media lounge, amazing indoor/outdoor rooftop entertainment spaces, on-site parking, bicycle storage, and the list goes on…

Located on the corner of Wall and Water Street and standing 42 stories, all of the units offer beautiful 360 views. Keeping with the sleek, light and airy feeling, the units feature lofty 10ft+ ceilings, wide plank light vanilla washed oak flooring, open custom kitchens by Italian design studio, BOFFI, feature Mont Blanc Agglomerate stone counters with glass tiled back splashes, white lacquer and glass cabinets with integrated Miele dishwasher, Sharp microwave and Subzero & Liebherr refrigerators.

Pricing is competitive but they have many great deals with units pricing under $1000/ sqft. They also offer the very appealing 421g tax abatement and fairly low common charges.

With a wide variety of floor plan options, including studios, studio lofts, one bedrooms, oversized one bedrooms, two bedrooms, oversized two bedrooms, three bedrooms, two, three and four bedroom penthouses, 75 Wall definitely has something for everyone!

75_Outdoor

William Beaver House, 15 William Street
Developer: SDS Investments and Andre Balazs
Sales and Marketing: Prodigy Network

WBH ExteriorWith what seems to be a revolving door of marketing plans and on-site brokers, the William Beaver House seems to be settling in with Prodigy Network as their sole Sales and Marketing team. With delays in construction, the building now feels complete with a large number of the units sold and occupied.

The William Beaver House, adjacent to the Stone Street restaurants and bars, is one of the most luxurious newly constructed condominium buildings in the Financial District. Designed by Tsao + Mc Kown, with hotelier Andre Balazs, the building offers every amenity found at the neighboring buildings, and more: from half court basketball, full gym, pool, screening room, outdoor jacuzzi, dog run and squash court, the building gives a feeling that you are at a resort and not necessarily in the middle of New York City. The rooftop lounge features sweeping city and harbor views as well as indoor and outdoor space with kitchen and bar.

Most of the units in the building feature open kitchens with Miele & Liebherr appliances, washer and dryer, oversized bathrooms with a large soaking tub for 2, high ceilings and wonderful light & views from the oversized windows.

WBH Interior

William Beaver House is the sort of building that is of such a magnitude that its very presence will significantly alter the character of its neighborhood. While this sort of ultra-modern, ultra-large construction would not be out of place in Battery Park City or even Tribeca, such a building in this part of Lower Manhattan seems particularly out of place. William and Beaver streets meet in the oldest, stateliest section of gilded age-era architecture in the financial district. It is also adjacent to Delmonicos, one of the oldest surviving relics of old New York in Manhattan. While the building sticks out like a sore thumb in movies and television shows when a flyover of the city is done, we have to imagine that could be a selling point to some newcomers to the city.

While pricing is comparable to other buildings in the area, the developer has begun renting some of the unsold units to buyers as either a straight rental or part of a rent-to-own program.

The District, 111 Fulton Street
Developer: Africa Israel
Sales and Marketing: Urban Marketing

District LobbyThe District is one of the smaller new developments with only 163 condominium residences and 18, 000 square feet of high end amenities. The building offers 24/7 Doorman, Abigal Michaels Concierge services, cold storage, convenient parking available across the Street, a stunning library lounge with fireplace, private screening room, billiards room. The Fitness Center offers an indoor lap pool, 16 jet spa Jaccuzi, cold plunge, Steam bath and Sauna as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center and exercise room. The 12, 000 sf roofdeck is one of our favorites in the building. With amazing views of all major downtown buildings, this sun flooded space is complete with lounges, cabanas, and reflecting pool.

Units offer oversized windows, 12 foot ceilings, and beautiful details. Each home has Central Air/Heating, available Smart Home technology, high-end kitchen that includes Ceaser stone countertops, Gagganau cook top, Liebherr refrigerator/freezer, Miele Dishwasher and Miele oven. The apartment also offers washer & dryer hook ups, and tons of closet space.

Over 91% of the units have sold but there are still a number of exceptional apartments available. As is typical with the Financial District, taxes are appealing with the 421-g abatement and exemption already in place.

District Terrace

District Pool