(Photos: Daniel Maurer)
With places like Glasslands, 285 Kent and [in a couple of days we’ll insert the next one here] shuttering left and right, you’d think the DIY spirit is on its way out of Williamsburg. Luckily, at least one of the neighborhood’s luxury developers is determined to foster the next Nick Zinner. The folks at 101 Bedford — the complex that opened a couple of years ago and inflicted a Diesel pop-up on the southwest corner of McCarren Park — have added a recording studio to the rundown of amenities that already included heated sidewalks and a golf simulator. Keep on rocking’ in the free world! Well, not quite free: studios at 101 Bedford start at $2,650 a month and one-bedrooms start at $3,400.
But hey, just think of all the money you’ll save by cutting your Songs to Golf To album right inside of your building, in between laps in the pool and hammock sessions on the rooftop. Plus, when you’re ready to shoot the LP’s cover, there’s a brand spanking new photo studio right next to the recording studio.
Co-developer Yoel Sabel knows what’s up. “Our building has become a hub of creativity in the same way certain residences in Soho and Greenwich Village were years ago,” he said, presumably meaning “years ago when shit was affordable.”
When I caught wind of this, I figured I’d take a tour of 101 Bedford, since I’ve always wondered whether the place looks as much like a college dorm from the inside as it does from the outside.
Last time I tried to see the place, I didn’t get past the lobby, where advertisements for maid service and $90-a-pop personal trainer sessions were posted at the front desk. There was also an events calendar touting rooftop tequila tastings.
This time, a rep gave me the grand tour, starting with the dog wash station, where the walls nod to Keith Haring. (Haring was also willing to pay astronomical sums in rent, so the residents of 101 Bedford can consider him a kindred spirit.)
There’s an in-house screening room where one of the creative hub’s residents was watching a Kenneth Anger film sports.
And a pool. (There’s also a 2,500-square-foot gym, but as a rule I do not set foot in gyms.)
This library is part of the business center that, according to the press release “has emerged as a destination for writers, entrepreneurs and freelancers.” One of the tomes on the shelves is Danielle Steel’s Bittersweet. (You won’t find that one at Mellow Pages. Actually, you won’t find anything at Mellow Pages. It’s closing.)
There’s this room where residents can do little wine and cheese things.
And this room, where we’re told aspiring comic Josh Chudnovsky recently did some standup for fellow residents.
Okay, by now you’re wondering what the room rooms look like. Well, here’s a $2,650-a-month studio.
Sure, it’s wall-to-wall small, but you do get this cute little terrace.
And here’s a bedroom in a $3,400-a-month 1BR.
Many of the rooms have balconies with views of the campus central courtyard.
And here’s the place’s crown jewel — a 17,000-square-foot roof deck that aims to “attract artistic residents eager to capture the building’s breathtaking views.”
With a hammock, swinging seats, and this “mini beach” area, it’s got everything an artistic resident could need.
Like these cabanas.
Sorry, the view is a little marred by the hotel that’s going up. Hate it when that happens.