169 replies to this topic

[provid]

" "I think the amenities match up to anything you see in Providence and anything you will see," he said. "

Yeah...right...those basic ( used ) white appliances are very high class

[basachs]

So what makes a "luxury" condo. I think we all have talked about the qualities that are nice but dont make it luxurious. Setting aside views and location, what is it about the interior of a condo that is luxurious?

If the jefferson apts are as cheaply made as others have indicated, wonder if the counters can support the granite tops?

[CtownMikey]

I dont like this project at all.. it's almost as if Paolino is just flipping off the other three projects and saying "i'm done first!"

BUT as long as it does no harm to the 3 BIG projects right now, then it's cool.

[matt]

basachs, on Oct 10 2005, 11:17 AM, said:

So what makes a "luxury" condo. I think we all have talked about the qualities that are nice but dont make it luxurious. Setting aside views and location, what is it about the interior of a condo that is luxurious?

If the jefferson apts are as cheaply made as others have indicated, wonder if the counters can support the granite tops?

A fine point.   I had a friend who lived in one of the first floor apts and frequently complained of the noise that so easily traveled into her appartment from those above.

[provid]

We are not only talking about a lack of luxury but the fact two or three people have already lived in these units.  Basically reading this it sounds as if they want to sell these units while trying not to spend any money to improve.

"We can sell them now," Paolino said. "People don't have to wait through a two-year construction period."

I think the traslation of that line would go something like  "we are cheap as hell"

Edited by mikepl, 10 October 2005 - 10:03 AM.

[Liamlunchtray]

basachs, on Oct 10 2005, 10:17 AM, said:

If the jefferson apts are as cheaply made as others have indicated, wonder if the counters can support the granite tops?

Hey, I just redid my kitchen in Ikea cabinets and they are handling my 1 1/2" soapstone counters no sweat!

Bring on the Prefab Chinese Granite Slabs!!!! Paolino will toss so much granite and stainless into these tediously bland college dorm-esque apartments that you will just want to throw up. Its gonna be awesome. And luxurious. Luxuriously Awesome.

[Recchia]

I don't know about the inside of the Jefferson apartments, but from what I've seen from the outside, they just look, I don't know, so damn fake.  It's like a suburban apartment complex or senior citizens housing in disguise as real urban walk-ups.  The streetfront has nice stoops, etc., yet nobody is EVER on them, and it seems like everyone that lives there drives up, parks in the garage in the middle and then enters through the back entrances.  There's no street life at all, just fake stoops.  It wouldn't surprise me if the the windows on the street weren't even real, and if the front doors were just painted on and didn't even really exist.  

Kinda looks like something out of the movie Dick Tracy to me.

[Garris]

Liamlunchtray, on Oct 10 2005, 10:40 AM, said:

Bring on the Prefab Chinese Granite Slabs!!!! Paolino will toss so much granite and stainless into these tediously bland college dorm-esque apartments that you will just want to throw up. Its gonna be awesome. And luxurious. Luxuriously Awesome.

Thanks for the laugh this provided .  I doubt this will hurt the "big three" at all, as this is a full price class down from the condos under construction.  I can't see the person considering the 30th flr of 110 saying, "Damn, I just can't wait until '07!  I'm going to just buy that 903 unit right now..."  

Also, save for the sold out Strand condos, these are the only condos in this price range in downtown right now, for better or worse.  Seen as a twisted positive, it does offer downtown living to a group that thus far would not have been able to afford it, and it does get more homeowners downtown faster than otherwise would have been the case.  I hope those looking at 903, though bargain hard...

As for basachs question as what defines luxury?  We've discussed this before.  I think the definition is in flux, and people are paid a ton of money in the marketing industries to do nothing else but figure this out...  Look at the automotive industry.  You can even now buy Hyundais, Chevys, and Kias for 19K with leather, power everything, airbags everywhere, automatic AC, navigation systems, excellent quality, and top draw engineering.  What, then, is a luxury car?

The same is true in housing.  Places like 110, the Westin condos, and various Boston condos seem to be upping the luxury ante with services, rather than "stuff."  This seems to be in evolution.  We'll see!

- Garris

[Garris]

Recchia, on Oct 10 2005, 10:49 AM, said:

I don't know about the inside of the Jefferson apartments, but from what I've seen from the outside, they just look, I don't know, so damn fake.  It's like a suburban apartment complex or senior citizens housing in disguise as real urban walk-ups.  The streetfront has nice stoops, etc., yet nobody is EVER on them, and it seems like everyone that lives there drives up, parks in the garage in the middle and then enters through the back entrances.

It is somewhat "fake" as you describe.  It's a more institutional type of development meant to evoke the architecture and urban life of times past.  It's "themed."  There's no "streetlife" there because there are no authentic aspects of the design that promote it.

I don't understand why true townhouses or rowhouses haven't taken off in Providence like they have in Boston or Philly.  Even New Haven has them in some places.  

This also brings up the issue that I'm not sure what the true, "authentic" urban architecture of America in the 21st century really is.  Most of it seems "retro" themed, looking back to America's urban golden age.  I don't know what modern urban really is...

- Garris

[CtownMikey]

Speaking of the strand condos.. I was at Diesel last night around 2:30 a.m. and the music was sooo loud. Even from outside. I wonder if the building can actually mute those sounds and buff any vibrations

[ArtInRuins]

I cant believe that someone would rent at Jefferson Place... now they are for sale as condos? Figures Paolino is involved... that building was shady from the start. Not a stick of steel in the whole place (all wood), multi story, and didnt they have to get fire code variances for the way they built the stairwells? The Texas company that built the place sold it as soon as they finished building it, and now Paolino is trying to beat out places like One Ten and the Intercontinental for early condo sales... ugh. I bet they all sell too.

[Frankie811]

ArtInRuins, on Oct 10 2005, 09:56 PM, said:

I cant believe that someone would rent at Jefferson Place... now they are for sale as condos? Figures Paolino is involved... that building was shady from the start. Not a stick of steel in the whole place (all wood), multi story, and didnt they have to get fire code variances for the way they built the stairwells? The Texas company that built the place sold it as soon as they finished building it, and now Paolino is trying to beat out places like One Ten and the Intercontinental for early condo sales... ugh. I bet they all sell too.

Yeah, after they built it and went for their occupancy permit the fire dept said the building wasen't up to fire code, so they had to spend a lot of money modifying it.

Edited by Frankie811, 11 October 2005 - 04:12 AM.

[Frankie811]

Paolino's partners


http://www.theathenagroup.com/

[Frankie811]

Frankie811, on Oct 11 2005, 06:16 AM, said:

Paolino's partners
http://www.theathenagroup.com/

Barry Seidel of The Athnesa Group was just on Ch 10's morning news business report. He stated that Providence has a tremendous demand for condo conversions which was what attracted them to the city.

[TheAnk]

Awesome.. More condos.. Just what Prov needed.. Where are they going to get people with the proper income to buy all these places? Last time I checked, the median income in Prov was like 32k or something..

[Frankie811]

TheAnk, on Oct 11 2005, 11:56 AM, said:

Awesome.. More condos.. Just what Prov needed.. Where are they going to get people with the proper income to buy all these places? Last time I checked, the median income in Prov was like 32k or something..

HEY ANK!!!!!!!!!!!  Where ya been, buddy!!!!!

[ArtInRuins]

TheAnk, on Oct 11 2005, 10:56 AM, said:

Awesome.. More condos.. Just what Prov needed.. Where are they going to get people with the proper income to buy all these places? Last time I checked, the median income in Prov was like 32k or something..

Yeah, i dont get it either... the market seems to be going up and up with no sign of stopping... the most troubling part of all this is that with the tax stabilization this project got, it was supposed to STAY rental according to the state. But Jefferson Place took the state to court and won. So they may have jeapardized any further applications for tax stabilization in the city, which a lot of GOOD projects (like the Plant) need in order to come to fruition.

[provid]

Signs have been placed around downcity ( such as the windows of the old urban kitch.)  reading the distance to the 903 from where you are standing. What I find funny is that the marketing line is "Life in the center of it" and  while you read these signs you are already standing in the center of downtown; meaning its like saying if you lived here  you would be 9 min from home already.

Edited by mikepl, 19 October 2005 - 02:50 PM.

[Garris]

mikepl, on Oct 19 2005, 02:45 PM, said:

Signs have been placed around downcity ( such as the windows of the old urban kitch.)  reading the distance to the 903 from where you are standing. What I find funny is that the marketing line is "Life in the center of it" and  while you read these signs you are already standing in the center of downtown; meaning its like saying if you lived here  you would be 9 min from home already.

It seems that they have a number of slogans (they're advertising like crazy).  I did like the one in an ad on the side of a bus, "No one really lives in the suburbs..." .

- Garris

[Cotuit]

They have a big billboard near the layover station on 95 south that says something like "Just think, you could have walked." I was sitting in traffic on a bus as I read it.