Has Starchitecture Lost its Luster?

This weekend’s real estate section in the Times had a story examining how buildings constructed with “starchitects” at the design helm—Richard Meier, Enrique Norten, Robert A. M. Stern, et al.—are not necessarily holding value on the resale market or having a smashing sales run from the get-go. The two Brooklyn examples mentioned are Meier’s On Prospect Park (a.k.a. 1 Grand Army Plaza) and Norten’s 580 Carroll Street. The former has seen price cuts and is nearly 80 percent sold since hitting the market in 2007, and the latter still has 10 of its 17 units unspoken for after being on the market for about two years, as we reported last week. Both Meier and Norten have quotes in the article saying that perhaps the locations of the buildings deterred would be buyers. For example: “Mr. Norten ascribed the sluggish sales mainly to the building’s location. It is on Carroll Street, near Fourth Avenue, the far western edge of Park Slope. ‘I think the developers were very brave in trying to upgrade with different architecture there,’ he said. ‘They were taking a risk.'” (In the case of OPP, though, location can hardly be blamed, since many would consider it one of the the premier locations in Brooklyn.) Leaving aside the fact that brand-name cachet is probably not as valuable as it was in the real estate boom years, do you think starchitect pedigree will always be a somewhat tougher sell in a borough better known for its stately brownstones and handsome prewar apartment buildings? Or, you know, maybe the price is just too damn high on the starchitect condos that have come to market here!
Boldface Buildings in the Cold Light of Now [NY Times]