SOM-designed Toren About to Hit the Market
Toren, the new development at 150 Myrtle Avenue promising “A New Angle on Modern Living,” starts sales tomorrow. The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed tower, reminiscent of a barcode, is 38 stories, with 240 market rate condos and 40 below-market rate condos (The New York Times reported that 10,000 people entered the lottery to buy those…
Toren, the new development at 150 Myrtle Avenue promising “A New Angle on Modern Living,” starts sales tomorrow. The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed tower, reminiscent of a barcode, is 38 stories, with 240 market rate condos and 40 below-market rate condos (The New York Times reported that 10,000 people entered the lottery to buy those units). The top eight floors have eight one-bedroom penthouses and 24 two- and three-bedroom duplex penthouses. William Ross, Director of Development Marketing at Halstead Brooklyn, which is handling the listings, said he isn’t apprehensive about bringing another luxury product on the market, with Oro Condominiums struggling to sell around the corner. “Not this one, this one is special,” he said. Toren’s indoor pool is designed to replicate the Art Deco saltwater pool formerly at the St. George Hotel on Henry Street, once the largest of its kind in the world, and there’s a co-generation plant in the building’s basement. Toren also features a bi-level furnished roof garden with an outdoor movie theatre, indoor library, attended lobby, yoga room and fitness center by Iowa Fitness. Ross said parking is on the second and third floor, not underground, because there’s an old train station right next to the building, possibly the former Myrtle Avenue el’s first underground station. He said the station is too short to accommodate today’s cars. BFC Partners is the developer.
Toren: A New Angle on Modern Living
Toren Listings [Halstead] GMAP
150 Myrtle Revealed As Part of Condo-Mania Event [Brownstoner]
New Details on 150 Myrtle Avenue [Brownstoner]
First, this is not a bad location, but be realistic — it’s more than one block to Ft. Greene Park, it’s at least a 10 minute walk to the edges of Boerum Hill and brooklyn heights, so it’s more like 15 mintues to the commercial cores on Smith Street and further down Montague (and probably at least the same to the restaurants on Dekalb).
Scond, what is getting torn down for this — is this on the east side of the street? Or is this replacing part of Metrotech on the west side? According to the CityMap, it’s right in the middle of Myrtle Avenue next to 4 metrotech, but I don’t see how it fits.
Third, it’s really ugly and especially not contextual in view of the Metrotech aesthetic (if such a thing exists). If you like architecture that utterly deviates from any hope of operating in harmony with its surroundings, this is it.
South Slope isn’t uglier than Williamsburg.
It’s exactly as ugly as Williamsburg.
Could be why all the hipsters are moving there.
2:19 I am a williamsburg lover. it is an amazing neighborhood that offers thing no other Brooklyn neighborhood can come close to – galleries, high end shopping, excellent restaurants, manhattan quality hair salons, great music venues and lovely lounges and bars. as a parent who sold a building in Park Slope, I can tell you that the community of parents is quite strong here.
There are creative people or people in the associated business end of it, that simply do not want to live around people who are too boring or small minded. We want to raise our children in a different atmosphere.
Also, compared to much of Brooklyn, you have complete and quick access to Manhattan – including private schools and the great public schools like NEST where many williamsburg parents send their kids.
Most of Williamsburg is also quiet and not so crowded. Park Slope is a total zoo, and with all the AY construction in it’s future, will become even more congested.
Also, the waterfront is great, and unlike Dumbo, we do not have 2 loud and smelly bridges or one of the city’s worst housing project in our backyard.
FYI – Many who have kids and have bought property here have been in neighborhood for years. Not true that everyone has moved away – on the contrary, it’s a booming neighborhood and 20 somethings are buying and renting here still.
Much of south Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and downtown Brooklyn is way way uglier than Williamsburg too. It all depends on where you live.
The architect and the artist who did the renderging each took about 30 tabs of acid and our now at a clinic in Switzerland.
Isn’t a penthouse the top floor? How can you have them on 8 floors?
I agree, 2:06.
Most of the younger people who moved to Williamsburg in the late 90’s and early 2000’s have already left anyway. Or are looking to leave.
Williamsburg is a place you either love or you don’t, it seems. Very little middle ground.
I personally have no desire to live there (or really even go there more than twice a year) even though I do appreciate it for its urban ugliness. I don’t, however agree with paying large sums of money to live amidst ugly. I don’t understand the influx of parents moving to Williamsburg. Seems very selfish, because I can think of at least 5 other Brooklyn neighborhoods that seem more suited to raising children.
Williamsburg is nothing but a brand at this point.
I liken it to Starbucks. A place I don’t set foot in. The coffee tastes horrible but people still seem to go there.
There is no 9 train
I like this building.
Williamsburg sucks unless you love williamsburg.With a limit of trains you are forced to hang out in that hood exclusively. Dwntwn Brooklyn has the manhattan accessibility to thrive and succeed. In a bigger way than WillyB could ever.
Part of the plan for this building is that they’re going to level all the buildings around it using tax-payer funds and eminent domain. It was Bloomberg’s idea because he wants a golf course there. To get fat Marty Markowitz’s support the mayor and developer promised to build several hot sausage stands in the surrounding acreage.
Umm…Iowa Fitness? Has anyone here ever BEEN to Iowa? Fitness is not exactly the word that comes to my mind when I think of Iowa. What’s the draw here?