A new condo building is going up in Manhattan's Hudson Square neighborhood — the triangle on the river between Tribeca, SoHo, and the West Village that has until recently been mostly commercial and industrial buildings.
15 Renwick isn't just any building: it's a steampunk-themed luxury development. Steampunk-themed. Luxury. Development.
— Business Insider
What is steampunk? For the most part, the term refers to a literary sub-genre that fetishizes the aesthetics of early industrialization in Western Europe. Steampunk works are often set in post-apocalyptic futures or revisionist histories. This new condo development would definitely fall into the former category.
Units are priced between $2 and $7.5 million dollars. The amenities include parking, laundry, a roof deck as well as a butler, a "high design boxing gym," and a zen garden. The website claims, "Located on one of the few single-block streets in New York City, 15 Renwick offers 2-4 bedroom condominium homes in the heart of historic Hudson Square, where the West Village, TriBeCa and SoHo meet. The design is both handsome and bespoke, inspired by its dynamic location. The exterior honors the authentic architecture of the street and neighborhood, while the interiors feature unconventional, modern elements that reflect the individualistic persona of today’s Hudson Square."
Additionally, the development includes "characters," that "pay homage to the Victorian era in which the street’s namesake, James Renwick and his son, lived (1790-1895). Renwick was a pioneering author, engineer and professor at Columbia University while his son, James Jr., was one of the most celebrated architects of his generation." While there's no doubt that Renwick Jr. was one of the greatest American architects, this project seems more like a stain on his memory than an elevation of his legacy.
The Business Insider sums it up pretty well: "Living in this building is all about not living a real life."
The building is a fitting example of everything that's wrong with New York today, a city marked by extremes of income disparity (the greatest in the US). Right now, protestors are swarming the city's streets, drawing attention to the legal and policing systems that maintain this disparity, that criminalize entire populations while exculpating the elite of heinous, systematic law-breaking. 15 Renwick can be read as symptomatic of the ideological positions of this elite class, which nostalgizes a time defined most by extreme poverty, exploitative labor, entrenched racism (read: slavery), and colonial attitudes and endeavors.
22 Comments
Themed buildings make perfect sense especially in New York, a city with so many subcultures and alternative lifestyles. I'm imagining entire buildings of furries, witches, juggalos etc.
back in my day the only themed buildings in ny were crack houses. Ny sure has changed.
The problem is that the underlying theme is always the same - $$$$.
Agree, Miles.
Which is more shameful, luxury steampunk apartment building, or weight loss pet food?
I love it. I just signed up for a $5 mil penthouse. I plan on adopting a persona, and see where it goes.
So basically the ad campaign is a huge success...
i used to live close to camden. dont remember the steampunk going on really. but sure, why not.
why is excess shameful? All of america's heroes are excessive. its kind of a requirement.
anyway, this aint so excessive, its just mildly weird and slightly boring.
Its kind of a trip to think that access to being quirky is a sign of the sickness of american poverty. I feel it though. The goth and steampunkers in harajuku are way more legit.
well.....maybe. dont need to pay at the door to partake at least....
But, but...leather boxing equipment, and tires!
I received your inquiry concerning 15 Renwick. Please let me know if you would like to schedule an appointment to come into our sales office and speak with one of our agents. Have a [steampunk] day.
Best,
Christian
Christian
15 Renwick Concierge
I don't see how the architecture of this thing is the least bit "steampunk". Seems like bland glassy modern to me. Shouldn't the architecture be an anachronistically-technologised version of mid 19th century design? The only thing steampunk are the characters they've photoshopped in.
weird marketing strategy. "Steampunks... The great untapped market."
EKE, I was thinking the people, except for tattoo guy, aren't even steampunk. Here's the only time I'll say this, but perhaps since that douche Karim Rashid is designing buildings, maybe it's time we get Matthew Barney to design some too? I mean, he'd make it look all Cremasterpunk!!
its totally bland. Maybe if they can hire that blimp thing to hang about all day long...
never thought ny was naively weird enough (like tokyo) for this sort of thing to make sense, but maybe there are enough hipsters to pull it off. Prolly it will just end up being like Camden, which is basically brooklyn anyway, so ... yeah.
Time is an asterisk, same as it ever was, and so on.
Agree with will and EKE. This looks like a run of the mill glass grid condo with the usual minimal note of whimsy. This whole steam punk thing seems pretty niche too, but must say, great marketing. I was hoping for a Roman and Williams number.
I wonder how pissed off buyers will be when they realize it isn't actually next to a small stream.
That on top of the fact that there is nothing unique about this.....just bland condo modernism with some generic faux historic detailing.....check out the local 3 star hotel for the same level of "whimsy".
why would a small stream be bad? the residents will need that small stream to power their various steam-powered gadgets.
We have a local co-work space called The Speakeasy that is rather steampunk in design. it's very well done, if you like steampunk.
I would also say a lot of Olson Kundig's work veers toward steampunk:
To me it feels very 1990's-era Cranbrook: fetishization of natural steel and welding grinds, burly metal fasteners, natural wool and deep colors.
Not bad. Anything's better than another glass grid.
I like Olson Kundig's work. And I think their steampunkishness isn't merely stylistic, meaning they celebrate industrial simplification without fetishizing it. The steampunk movement never met an unnecessary embellishment it didn't like.
It also reminds me of the sculptor Cathy de Monchaux, whose work I LOVE - but it's art, not architecture.
I agree that the Kundig building has a steampunk look - a bit. But I really do not get the steampunk aesthetic from 15 Renwick, neither the interior or exterior shots.
the blimp added in post-production really does help bring out the steam-punkishness though.
i wonder if the developer went to an ad agency, who said 'let's call it steampunk. that seems to have a high google rank' and the developer said 'what the f* are you talking about?'
Steampunk-ish? The Dandy on public transit.
that article says they're ok with living in a hole in the wall. no,no,no, the proper dandy steampunk must get a nice flat on hudson street with a stream and a blimp in the background. i know i'm sold.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.