An apartment view south to Lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor. Photo by Michael Toolan.

Here’s the first glimpse inside Walker Tower, the transformation of 212 West 18th Street into a collection of 55 expansive residences set within a pre-war building designed by the trailblazing architect Ralph Walker. Walker created iconic Art Deco landmarks such as the Barclay-Vesey Building and One Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. He was hailed as the “architect of the century” in the New York Times, and Frank Lloyd Wright referred to him as “the only other honest American architect.” Now his 18th Street high-rise is being both painstakingly restored and thoroughly modernized to become one of the most extravagant and sought-after residences in New York City. Walker Tower is being developed by Michael Stern and Elliott Joseph. CORE will launch sales in the building in spring 2012.

Walker Tower could not be built today, nor could it ever be built again. Constructed in 1929 for the New York Telephone Company, the Art Deco skyscraper’s lavish entryways, ornate detailing and sweeping interior spaces are unheard of in today’s construction practices. The building exceeds all of the attributes one would desire in the ideal residential conversion. Huge new tilt-and-turn windows throughout the building (some measuring nearly 10′ tall and 5′ wide) will give even the lowest residential floors stunning views protected by contextual low-rise zoning districts on one side and a landmarked historic district on the other. The building’s soaring ceilings, approaching 15′ high, will create airy residences with incredible proportions. Literally and figuratively, Walker Tower stands tall above its neighbors.

Ralph Walker helped pioneer the use of architectural setbacks in skyscraper design to allow for more light and air to reach the streets below, and at Walker Tower those enormous setbacks will become equally enormous private terraces. Overall, half the apartments will boast sizable and dramatic private outdoor spaces. Below is a look at some of Walker Tower’s original architectural detailing as well as a behind-the-scenes photo of the building’s transformation, which includes a penthouse expansion. From top to bottom, Walker Tower will offer breathtaking views of Manhattan’s past, present and future architecture.

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I’m pleased to share my next CORE Talks Interview with award-winning architect, Joseph Dirand. Join me as I sit with Dirand in the masterpiece he created at 812 5th Avenue. Rooted in a rich, diverse and sophisticated French design culture, Dirand discusses how he develops an innovative expression for each of his projects inspired by location and context, as well as his own unique cultural roots. In this episode, you’ll also see us converse about Dirand’s beginnings in architecture, his collaborations with Balmain and Lanvin and his obsession with black and white.

Richard Cook and Bob Fox are  two of the most innovative architects of our era. They have been at the forefront of designing energy efficient homes and spaces before it became fashionable.

I received an email today from them which brought a new endeavor of theirs to my attention. It mentioned ….. Today’s Wall Street Journal includes a special report on energy: a look ahead at technology, design, policy, and economics. Its cover story, “The Green House of the Future”, asked four architectural firms to imagine an energy efficient, environmentally-sustainable home without worrying about the usual realities of costs and building technologies.

Their answer is a conceptual design for an environmentally-responsive, “biomorphic” house that adapts to its occupants’ needs, as well as changing weather and other environmental factors. The design is an evolution of their proposal for the Live Work Home, a winner of Syracuse University’s recent “From the Ground Up” competition.

The article from yesterday’s Wall Street Journal shows many creative and provocative ideas from four different architectural firms.

The New York Times recently published an article written by Nicolai Ouroussof titled “New York City, Tear Down These Walls”. In the article, he contends that there are some buildings, so ugly in nature, they should be torn down. He goes as far as naming the top contenders. (I personally think he missed a few). I am not as bold as he, to name them here, but I do support his overall position and additionally contend that we are seeing some of the wrong  buildings built in the wrong neighborhoods. If we look to the successes of the past, we will find a commonality in the architecture being intuitive in a way that it adds, not detracts to the landscape. History will soon show us that buildings out of context with their surroundings will not resonate as well, if at all, with the people they are attempting to attract. Would you be comfortable living in a sixty story building in an historic neighborhood surrounded by six story pre war loft buildings?

New York Magazine published a similar themed piece about Starchitects and their possible added value (or not).  I am all for architecture representing progress and being an expression of our society. Hopefully it pays respect to the past and takes us a direction in the future that we can be proud of in the years that follow.

The Sixth Annual Open House New York Weekend is fast approaching. This fantastic series of events will take place this coming weekend, October 4th and 5th, at hundreds of locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Some tours are very popular and require advance reservations so call now to book early after visiting the official site to plan your urban adventure.

The question we would all love to have the answer to is “where is the next hot neighborhood?” And, of course, I always hear my clients complaints that, “if only I had bought that site in Soho…or Tribeca… or the UWS… or Harlem… or Lower 5th… or the East Village…(you get the idea) before it got hot”. Over the past 15 years I have witnessed Manhattan’s luxury market shrink from many segmented luxury neighborhoods into almost one large luxury neighborhood. The Upper West Side has expanded to Midtown (thanks in large part to the Time Warner buildings). The delineation between Midtown and the Village (East and West) has been smudged, and everyone is watching to see how much luxury residential property can be absorbed in The Financial District. (I’ll discuss more of that in a future SO interview.)

What makes a neighborhood change? Something defining: a new Landmark… a slow expansion of a good neighborhood into a lesser neighborhood… a huge investment by a city agency… a new park… a change in zoning!

West Chelsea has a number of these elements.

In June, 2005, the City Council approved the Department of City Planning’s proposals for a zoning amendment affecting the West Chelsea area. This affected West 16th St to 30th St between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. The Special West Chelsea District was created and provided opportunities for new residential and commercial development. Some of which is well underway. The high line park has started construction, after much deliberation, and will create a magnificent linear open park on the previous elevated rail line.

The bad news for a developer is… most of the developable land is already taken (Add West Chelsea to your list of complaints about where you should have bought.)

The good news for a condo buyer is… the neighborhood is in its infancy and is neighbored by prime Chelsea, the trendy meatpacking District, the Hudson River, and the High Line Park. Some of the most renowned architects in the world have started to help West Chelsea emerge as one of Manhattan’s most promising and desirable residential neighborhoods.

I was fortunate to talk with two of them: Annabelle Selldorf and Sara Lopergolo of Selldorf Architects.

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