Madison Square Park North

Yes, I know a building with units at that pricepoint. It's just off of Rt. 270 in Darnestown, Maryland.

#2, How much do you have to spend on an apartment? what kind of a response is that?

To #2....There are several apartment buildings in the area where there are large alcove studios that can be easily turned into small Jr Ones and true one-bedrooms all in the $400k - $600k. I hope you aren't a broker. You obviously did not do your homework before you shot off your mouth.

What the hell are you people talking about!

66 Madison Avenue for one.

www.grandmadison.com

Grandmadison? What are the prices like?

#1 Should check out 66 Madison. One Bedrooms for 450 - 550. I haven't seen them yet.

If you're interested in a certain area of Manhattan I would suggest going over there & hitting the pavement & just hanging out & talking to people & just getting the vibe. Do you like the area? Is there a cafe? A market? etc. You're thinking about LIVING there, after all.

I'm pretty certain you can't get a 1 bedroom in the Grand Madison for near that price. I bought in 15 East 26th right next door (also known as 15 Madison Sq North) and 1 br's are about twice that and I think the GM is even more expensive. The area is great btw imo.

66 madison i believe is the madison parq. it is a coop and someone once told me it is the worst managed coop in NY. prob exaggerating a bit but prices ae extremely low. Grand madison 1brs start at about $1 - $1.2MM I Believe. same with 15 mad sq north. generally goes for about 1100 - 1300 sq foot in the new devs. i will say that while there isnt much retail in there yet, brokers and residents there are expecting that it will grow. with grand mad, 15 mad sq north, 76 madison, infinity, skyhouse, saya, and the old madison green, it's prob about time the area gets recognized for what it is. Beautiful buildings, new money moving in, central location to midtown, chelsea, east side, and downtown.

btw, im not a broker - im someone that lives in the upper east that has done TONS of research on potential new homes in NY.

also was a nice article re the flatiron district in the NYT today. while mad sq park wasnt mentioned, it begins right where flatiron ends. north of 23rd st.

FINO Flat Iron North or NOFI North of Flatiron - I just bought in the area in its great.

So my comment has been proven. As I said: try Darnestown.

I've also heard it called SoFi- Fifth Avenue South...

I'm a broker and I LOVE this area. If you can stand some of the inconveniences of the area now for 2-3 years, I think you will see definite upside in this area. First thing people say about the SoFi is that it is empty at night. Agree, is quiet now, but 15 Madison Square North will have people moving in 12 months and that will fill up the area. Also there is talk of a new building at 224 Fifth Avenue, as well. Madison Green on 23rd is an old stodgy building. Also condo's going up all along fifth avenue from 14th street to 28th street. Skyhouse will also have about 150 new dwellings there too. If you can afford it, get in. $1200-$1400/ foot definitely is not cheap, but I see definite upside in the area. I'm actually closing on the Grand Madison this month as well. So putting my money where my mouth is.

This area is kind of boring at night.

The area sucks.

You suck.

"This area is kind of boring at night"

I'd say thats a plus. Why live in the nightlife area when you can walk or taxi to it in 5-10 mins?

#21, I agree with your comment. you walk one block west on 6th ave and it is an absolute Sh*T show with people standing in line for bars, clubs, etc. Really like the fact that it is quiet around the park. also you got union square south 10 blocks south and park ave bars one blocks over. just wish area wasnt so expensive. also i have a car, and i think parking there is prob $$$$

After selling our Chelsea co-op upwards of $700,000 than we paid 5 years ago, we plunged it and more into a condo at the Grand Madison. What gave us confidence in this neighborhood with no name? The record $918 million purchase price for the MetLife Tower at One Madison Avenue. With Ian Schrager at the helm of this conversion it's sure to crank up up the neighborhood profile as well as prices surounding Madison Square Park.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3601/is_34_51/ai_n13651456

http://www.nysun.com/article/29658?page_no=1

SOFI blah....I like NOFI - Flat Iron North

#22, #21 here, completely agree. I live a block west of UnSq now and while we like it, its noisy and crowded. The area is expensive though and I think you're right, parking is ridiculous in that area. #23, same story here, we signed on at 15 Mad Sq North, haven't sold yet but should make nice money on our place of 3.5 years, rolling that and more into this new place as well.

One think re One Madison Ave, whats up with that building, is it still being converted, I haven't heard anything about that in awhile, I wonder if those plans have been squashed ala the toy building.

I also recently bought in 15 mad sq north - looking to sell our place in Union Square and move up to a quieter area. I believe the plans for One Madison are on hold - i think there needs to be some digestion of SL Green's purchase of Reckson Associates first. The Saya building is under a microscope now - i think developers including the Toy Building are all waiting to see how sales proceed. I think the area has great speculative value, but short term negatives include parking, grocery stores, dry cleaning, ect. Has anyone seen any concrete plans for the lobby in 15 MSN? Roofdeck? Details or update on timing? Also, does anyone know if there are plans for renovation of the elevators in the building?

there is a big korean supermarket on 32nd and fifth/bway. Im not asian but it has all the same stuff a gristedes would have, plus asian groceries. also there is a dry cleaner at 28th st in the 76 madison building. all these lux blgs on the park will have concierge service and dry cleaner delivery and pick up. re groceries, i think many will be using freshdirect in the beginning.

There is whole foods on 7 and 26

The Associated on 22nd and Park is open 24 hours and do deliver. Cheaper that Gristedes and much cleaner!!

I live at 66 Madison and absolutely love it. Their was a huge turnover last year but I think things are stabilizing now.

The area is great and very convenient. Plenty of restaurants on Park Avenue. And then there is all the subways in walking distance with the 6 train only being one block away.

rajvaz, #25 here, other than the "plans" in the offering plan for the lobby and the roof deck, which of course are of no real value, and the hand illustration for the lobby on the website, I've seen nothing. I have no update on timing, I signed in late January and at that point they were saying first quarter of 08, I haven't checked back since but mean to in the next month as we will likely be putting our current place on the market soon.

Regarding the elevators, I believe they're being renovated but not replaced, but I can't remember exactly where that belief comes from, probably something in the offering plan.

People are making too big a deal about services. Ok parking could be a problem but as someone else said these buildings' concierages will take care of dry cleaning (I haven't picked up dry cleaning in years). As for food, there's fresh direct but there are also a numbers of grocery stores in the area, might they be a block farther than you'd like, maybe, isn't there a grocery store and a real drugstore in the upper 20's on Park? Any max delivery fans, I don't think they deliver in that area yet but hopefully that changes.

oops my bad, Max Delivery actually does deliver to zip code 10010, awesome. For anyone who hasn't used them, we love ordering from MD, can order all kinds of things..groceries, drugstore stuff, dvds (like a netflix), booze, etc. Comes within 1 hour, sometimes 30 mins.

why was there turnover in 66 Mad?

http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12012

a story that was in the daily news re the toy building..

http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/498515p-420252c.html

another one about the toy blg potentially being bid by offices and hotels..

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02072007/business/buildings_really_wired_business_lois_weiss.htm

what do you think. would a hotel help the area out? or a condo be better?

Don't know about prices, but we've stayed a number of times at the Gershwin Hotel (27th and 5th), and really like that area. It's convenient to so many parts of town, there are lots of shopping and eating possibilities nearby, and Madison Square Park is very pretty and congenial.

(And BTW, #2, Darnestown is a lot cheaper than that.)

wow this place is expensive.

anyone have any idea on what kind of retail will be in 15 madison and the grand madison?

I'm looking for monthly garage parking in the Mad Park area, any comments?

Does anyone currently live in this area? Would like to know what people's experiences are living here. where do you shop for groceries. etc? also what is the park like in the spring and summer?

I'm new to the area and so far I love it. Food shopping is a small challenge. I like taking a walk over to the 24-hour Associated (Park Ave S. & 22nd). The food seems clean, prices are okay for a city store, and help is surprisingly nice. They do have a delivery service though I have yet to use it. I usually stroll my little cart over there when I know I am going to buy a lot. Of course there is always Fresh Direct too.

The park is kept up very well. The 23rd Street Association spends most of their efforts in making the park a place to be. Little concerts, events, like a mini CP. And then there is The Shake Shack....one word....Mmmmmm.

Transportation can't be beat with almost every train line a quick walk away. Plenty of cabs too.

Restaurants are all over the place, down Park Avenue and the side streets. I'm still trying to find a great pizza take-out. Mikes Pizza is just terrible.

I think the worst thing about this area is the few clubs on the side streets that attract drunk bridge and tunnel people. When they close the clubs at 4AM you can usually hear the loud drunken people talk and scream very loudly as they make their ways to their cars.

I think with the conversions of all the big office buildings to condos it will force this area to get a little more "residential" in services. I would hope it would stay a little "raw" and that I don't wake up one day thinking it looks exactly like the UES (nightmare) with a Starbucks glowing on my corner...yuck!!!

We've lived in a rental building (originally NYC's first cooperative building, as it happens) on 30th and Madison since Jan 04. In the last three years we've watched this neighborhood change dramatically, from nondescript rug district to something more like a real neighborhood. We are currently in the process of buying something just a couple blocks from where we live now. Wouldn't live anywhere else in Manhattan. A few considerations:

MAD SQ PARK: Anywhere within a 5 block radius of the park makes this effectively your back yard. One of NYC's best playgrounds, Shake Shack, Art, Music, Kid's Fairs, US Open Live... It's renaissance continues. To my mind, the blocks to the North and East of the Park have the most potential. South is the already delightful Flatiron proper, and over to Gramercy. North/ East blocks are slowly starting to approach this appeal, while the West blocks are being overrun by nondescript towers, making Sixth Avenue into a highrise highway.

CONNECTIONS: Green line from 28th St is four stops from SoHo, four stops from UES/ Met/ Park. I can walk in 15mins to Grand Central or Penn Station. From there, Air Train is c30mins to either JFK or Newark. We are on the same level as Queen's Midtown Tunnel and Lincoln Tunnel. For anyone who travels alot, this location can't be beat. It seems to be 20-30mins to anywhere you want to go, uptown or downtown.

DINING, ETC: Not quite Gramercy, but consider: Madison 11, Tabla, Les Halles, Country, Blue Smoke, I Trulli, Artisanal, and innumerable Japanese, Indian, Korean and other delivery. Vino on 27th is perhaps NYC's best Italian wine merchant.

SERVICES: In our block alone there is a deli, shoe repair, dry cleaning, hairdresser, pet clinic, school, design furniture, Subtletea, Cafe Keko, a church and Roger Williams Hotel. Wholefoods on 7th, Trader Joe's on 14th and D'Agostino on 3rd, not to mention Home Depot and Home Front (24/7 hardware) are a walk away, and most deliver. Kips Bay Cinema, Clearview on 23rd also walking distance, as is NYU Medical Center. Guests from out of town can stay at the swank Roger Williams or Carlton Hotels. Thirty/Thirty or Park South Hotels for budget guests.

KIDS: Having the Park so close is a lifesaver for anyone with children. It's not Central Park, but then neither are the local property prices. Appleseeds just opened on 24th. Epiphany, International and other private schools. PS116 is well reviewed.

COMPLEXION: Architecturally, it's not Tribeca or SoHo. Nor does it have plentiful bars or nightspots. But the concentration of distinctive prewar buildings does give the area a certain charm, and it is blissfully free on weekends or weeknights of the bridge and tunnel crowd. For going out, see the point above about Connections. Interestingly, there are new developments on almost every block between 26th and 34th Streets and between 5th and Lex: 15 Madison, Grand Madison, 50 Madison, 76 Madison, 127 Madison, Park South Lofts, Parkwood, Park East Condo, Empire Lofts, Vetro, and the gargantuan SkyHouse. That's a lot of new residents who will need Services, that are sure to follow. Also interesting to note that most of these are conversions rather than new build (like along Sixth Ave), so they retain a certain architectural charm.

The fact that this area is denoted on NYC Taxi maps as a grey area with no name makes it an interesting neighborhood in the making. Ultimately, it may never attain the cool of Tribeca and just isn't laid out to resemble a Village. But for connections and practicality it's superb. And there is considerable (relative) value for a Manhattan neighborhood.

great overview - thanks!

#42, that was a great overview. We recently moved to the Grand Madison on 27th and 5th and absolutely love the neighborhood. Would like to point out that if you look within a 5 block radius of Madison Square Park, the number of great restaurants is just staggering - 11 Mad, Tabla, Country, A Voce, Urena (all NYTimes 2 star+) and then you have just beyond that - Craft, Veritas, Gramercy Tavern, Fleur de Sel, Tocqueville, Gotham Bar and Grill, I Trulli, Yama, Japonais, Parea, Porcao and Barbounia! I am hard pressed to think of any neighborhood in Manhattan having that many great restaurants so close by. Not Soho, not Tribeca and certainly not the UES/UWS. Maybe Greenwich Village or the West Village can compare.

great access to le trapeze also just near the gershwin. that and plenty of handjob houses on madison in the 20s.

Hi, I really like the area and will be working nearby too. I am looking to buy my first apartment, and am hoping to find something in the $700K-$800K range, a condo. I'd love a 1BR, but will settle for a studio alcove. Any suggestions on buildings anywhere in the flatiron/Madison Square Park area where I might be able to find something in my price range? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

You can get fantastic deals a little north and east of the park - try Murrey Hill, Kips Bay, or Turtle Bay... 700K to 800K will get you a great one bedroom if you shop around.... (I'm talking about around 2nd to 3rd Ave - btwn 34th and 48th St....)

"3rd Avenue between 34th and 48th Streets" is not "a little north and east of the park." You can also get a great deal if you go even "a little further north and east" between 65th - 96th Streets East of 1st Avenue too.

I guess I don't mind the walk - keeps my butt from getting fat