Apartment rentals New York with The Continental

The Continental in Midtown West Fills Up

The Continental—a 5The Continental3-story building on 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue—announced today that it is all sold out. That’s right, the building that lingered in construction for two years and underwent a name change filled up in less than a year. Call it the success story of the week, and good news for the high-priced, low inventoried rental market.

The New Bastion of Manhattan Culture: NoMad

The Flatiron Building near Madison Square ParkIt seems like we’re writing about new residential development projects in Manhattan every day, but commercial developments have become something of a lost art. Commercial buildings are less lucrative financially than residential buildings, where New York City’s constantly growing population keeps them in high demand. Most developers don’t want to risk leasing space to commercial industries, so today we are happy to report on a new project to build the area north of Madison Square Park into a commercial district called NoMad.

With Chelsea and the Flatiron District to the West and South, respectively, the area surrounding Madison Park is one of the most developed places in Manhattan, filled to the brim with high-end luxury condos for sale and apartments for rent. But the NoMad area itself remains relatively empty. It was a major area for bootlegged merchandise until recently, when developers saw the potential in turning it into an upscale commercial area. To encourage development, a couple savvy property owners lowered the rent for commercial buildings. Now they’re watching eagerly as potential culture-makers start nibbling at the bait. The new Museum of Mathematics, which opens next year, just recently leased space on 26th Street, and other projects are falling in line.

A Blockbuster On The Border: The Continental Is One Of Manhattan's Hottest New Rental Listings... But Where Is It?

We know what The Continental is -- it's a new luxury rental at 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and it has been one of the most popular luxury rental listings on Luxury Rentals Manhattan since it began leasing in mid-January. What's harder to pin down about The Continental is what neighborhood it's in. By our guidelines at Luxury Rentals Manhattan, the new luxury rental at 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue is filed under Chelsea rental listings, and that categorization passes the initial shrug-test. But The Continental is a shorter walk from the Empire State Building than it is from The High Line, and nearer to Madison Square Garden than Chelsea Market, which could see it filed under Garment District rentals or Clinton rental listings. In this sense, The Continental has something in common with Emerald Green, a blocbuster rental listing on 38th Street that appears to exist in several neighborhoods at once. One thing that is not subject to debate about The Continental, though -- and another thing that it has in common with Emerald Green -- is that it belongs on any list of Manhattan’s most intriguing new luxury rental listings. Wherever it is, The Continental is a hit.