Promising renovations on the Upper West Side have hedge fund managers and Manhattan fashionistas alike suggesting that this prosperous area is now the cool new place for luxury apartment renters to call home. The Upper West Side, which used to hold more unrenovated than renovated pre-war buildings, has seen a refreshing change of pace as high-quality renovations have drawn the attention of renters looking for pre-war places. Thanks to those changes, many renters now consider the area trendy, making real estate brokers and management companies even more eager to rent out those apartments.
Luxury rental buildings like the Windermere on 92nd St. and West End Avenue have quickly become one of the prime examples of the advances that have been made on the Upper West Side apartments, which have renters wanting to know more. Built in 1926, years of neglect caused this pre-war building to be overlooked until it was newly renovated for tens of millions, according to the Daily News. With the building holding 300 units, amenities now include a fitness center, yoga space, two rooftop decks, children’s playroom, and indoor pool. With the new construction has come the Windemere’s ability to combine modern flare with historic architecture. “We wanted to stress the great historic detail, but allow for modern and fantastic design elements,” said Brian Ripel, RSVP Architecture Studio designer. “Finding and researching what was new and how to incorporate that became the goal.”
Renovations have also resulted in the loss of boutiques and national chains for the Upper West Side, however- though some renters who have been living on the Upper West Side for years feel as if the renovations aren’t too intrusive on the overall culture of the Upper West Side. “There is still an underbelly,” said Joan Morgan in an interview with the Daily News. “It’s not Park or Fifth Ave. Yet. That building [the Windermere] is just one big cosmetic change.”
