The New York Times-20080127-A Little Cybermagic Builds the Unbuilt

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A Little Cybermagic Builds the Unbuilt

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I'LL admit it. Looking at floor plans and trying to visualize walking through a space, figuring out how big the bathroom is and if my dining table will actually fit into the living room alcove, is not my strong suit.

Neither is imagining what I will see from my Juliet balcony on the fifth floor when the building is not even on the way up. That's why videos and a sprinkling of cybermagic are new condominiums' best friends.

I recently visited the sales offices of two new buildings: Modern 23 on 23rd Street in Chelsea and One Jackson Square on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village.

One Jackson Square is an 11-story, 35-unit condo designed by William Pedersen, a New York architect, and developed by Hines, the Houston-based international real estate firm, in partnership with RFR Holding.

The detailed model and, maybe more important, the neighborhood plan are crucial for getting a handle on the building. My visit began at the sales office, at 93 Greenwich Avenue -- not to be confused with Greenwich Street, a few blocks west. It was a mistake that my taxi driver and I made and that left me arriving breathlessly late.

Nonetheless, David Penick, a vice president at Hines, was eager to show off the project, which will occupy what was once a triangular parking lot a couple of blocks away.

It was a complicated and unusual site, said Mr. Penick, who lauded the architect's design, his first residential apartment building. We think Bill came up with something quite fantastic.

Although only 11 stories high, the building has an ultramodern look, with an undulating glass facade, that will surely be a jolt to the neighborhood, which is known for its picturesque brownstones and prewar apartment houses.

The architect's vision was of ribbons in the wind, said Chris Leavitt, a vice president for sales at the Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, which is handling the building. He added that amenities more common uptown, like valet parking, were signs of a brave new world in the West Village.

Prices of available units range from $2.41 million for a 1,283-square-foot one-bedroom, two-bath apartment on the third floor, to $7.4 million for a 2,737-square-foot three-bedroom, four-bath apartment on the ninth floor.

Peering into the model, I tried to take in some of the building's features: duplexes with fireplaces on each level and 22-foot ceilings, bathrooms where the shower is right next to the bathtub (a concept I really love), Miele kitchen appliances (with stoves that vent to the outside, Mr. Leavitt said), a screening room and a gym.

I was soon admiring an apartment (already spoken for, drat!) with a huge terrace that is to be planted with low-maintenance ground cover. That was so intriguing that I nearly forgot to concentrate on one of the building's main highlights -- the views that every unit will have over Jackson Square Park, a triangle where Eighth Avenue intersects with Greenwich Avenue.

I decided to take a short walk up to the building site. It was getting dark when I got there, and I tried to imagine what it might actually be like to look out onto Jackson Square Park, which is lovely, although rather small. With luck, spring will help its trees look their very best. Soon there will be a whole lot of pressure put on them.

The importance of a patch of greenery in the city is also a salient selling tool at the 14-unit eight-story Modern 23, at 350 West 23d Street, which was designed by Daniel Goldner, a New York architect. Martin Hollander, Arthur Israel and Erez Itzhaki of 350-52 West 23d Street L.L.C. are the developers.

The condo, which will be on the south side of the block between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, will have a glass and brick facade with Juliet balconies. Across 23rd Street, it will directly face a small tree-filled area between the tall red-brick Penn South buildings.

Just wear blinkers and look straight ahead, I thought, looking at the computer-generated photographs in the sales office at 324 West 22d Street. Mock-ups of a kitchen and bathroom have been set up to give potential buyers an idea of the finishes -- bamboo flooring, glass-tile backsplashes, stainless-steel appliances and gray wood cabinets.

Prudential Douglas Elliman is in charge of the marketing, and intimate was the way Richard Ferrari, an executive vice president, described the project. He pointed out the nine-foot windows that will give the illusion of higher ceilings, the gas fireplaces and the rear balconies that will hover over the 2,500-square-foot penthouses, which start at $4.925 million. Prices for one-and two-bedroom apartments begin at $1.950 million; three-bedrooms at $2.325 million.

I tried to think about how the finished condo would fit in with its neighbors. I liked the way it was both emphatically modern and yet understated. And I hoped those trees across 23rd Street would always be there to provide a lovely bit of green just across the way.

[Illustration]PHOTOS: HOW THEY WILL LOOK: A model kitchen, above, for Modern 23, shown in the rendering at left. The facade of the eight-story building will be punctuated with Juliet balconies. The kitchens will have bamboo floors, glass-tile backspashes and dark cabinets. A model of One Jackson Square, right, shows its undulating glass front. Kitchens, like the model above right, will be sleekly uncluttered. (PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF 350-52 WEST 23RD STREET L.L.C.); (PHOTOGRAPH BY GABRIELE STABILE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES); (PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREA MOHIN/THE NEW YORK TIMES)