Overview

East Harlem is undergoing the first steps of a renaissance and Observatory Place is at the vanguard of both neighborhood and green construction. The 38-unit condo is being designed and developed by Gary H. Silver, Andrew Liebhaber and finance partner Albert Marengo. It has a cast stone façade with numerous set backs with red brick facing, balconies and some terraces enclosed in an open frame. Built to Leed green standards and with a impressive amenities package this marks an adventurous and bold move by the developers who have already enjoyed considerable success with the Roosevelt Lane condominiums on E 111th St. Silver also has another project in the works on 120th street and has refitted several downtown buildings. They have also eschewed the input of brokers in the planning and initial sales phase preferring instead to go with their instincts and feedback from potential buyers to adjust designs. As of December, however, they will be handing over sales to a broker. The building consists of mainly studio, one and two bedroom units but is topped off with two three-bedroom penthouses. As a sidebar in maps of 1807 the original Observatory Place was the site of a proposed reservoir and observation point located between Forth and Fifth Avenues and 89th and 94th Street. (more…)