Overview

The Clement Clarke is a unique building among the new condo developments. Located in the heart of Chelsea between 6th and 7th avenues, this 12-story building houses 51 units. The appeal of this seemingly lower key and private building is that the outside facade was restored to maintain its old New York charm, while the inside has all the amenities and details of a brand new condominium. As stated on the Elliman website “The Clement Clarke is not the new lifestyle. It’s not a hotel. It’s a home. A warm, authentic place, with an enduring, understated grace.”

The Vintage Group, a real estate firm principally focused in the NYC Metro area, has developed the units. Prudential Douglas Elliman is handling the sales and marketing. The specific contacts are Adam Banks and Christine Sonin.

Units and Pricing

Of the 51 units in the building, 10 remain available as of early June. The bulk of units available are one-beds, with a few studios and two-beds as well. The price range spans from about $685,000 – $2,000,000. The price per square foot in the building fluctuates greatly depending on the unit and range from $1,100 – $1,400 foot. This is in line with many other Chelsea projects. The studios are “petite” at 540 feet, but the one-bedrooms are more spacious at 850+ feet. The one-beds have varying layouts, one with a study and another with an extra bath. The tw-beds both have study spaces as well as two bathrooms. One unit is 1386 feet, the other (priciest) is 1557 feet.

Interior

Exquisite detail has gone into all the finishes. The kitchens have all the usual high-end applicances, but the imported Italian cabinets made of teak and the pure crystal white stone counters elevate the design a notch. This ties in well with the American walnut wood flooring, a solid thick wood that has a rich dark coloring to it that will blend well with any decorative motif. Also, the bathrooms have limstone tiles, custom sinks, oak vanities and deep soaking tubs.

Amenities

This is not an “amenities” building. It has the “home-like” environment which attracts people who or looking more for privacy and quiet, not large, public spaces.

Location

This is a sweet spot in Chelsea. Its proxinimty to 23rd street and 6th/7th avenues are fabulous. It’s convenient to practically everything and 22nd street is a bit more peaceful than 23rd street. There is ongoing construction directly across the street currently, but that shouldn’t be a distraction for too much longer.

Investment Potential

Tough call here. Chelsea is an expensive neighborhood, but lots of condominiums are going up in the nearby vicinity. If you stand on 6th avenue and 23rd street and look straight uptown, its loaded with units, both condominium and otherwise. That concerns me a little bit for the short-term. However, the interior details and overall craftsmanship of the Clement Clarke should keep the units moving up in price over a 5-year time frame.

Interesting Fact

Let me first point out that Clement Clarke was a student and professor at Columbia College back in the late 18th/early 19th century. He worked primarily on biblical translations and gifted the land which is now the Theological Seminary. Wired points out that he was also a slave-owner who opposed abolition. The developers, at least according to the Elliman website, indicate the following: “Like Clement Clarke, the author of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, who was born on an estate called Chelsea, you too can be part of history.” Interesting, bad still a poor name choice.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Blogroll, Clement Clarke - 140 West 22nd Street. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.