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 Valhalla, NY - Luxurious condominium living is coming to the center of Scarsdale for the first time ever with the debut of Christie Place, an elegant Tudor-style building in the heart of town designed for residents 55 and better.
Christie Place is just steps from quaint village shops, restaurants and the Metro-North train station right in historic Scarsdale, N.Y.
“It is hard to imagine a better location in all of Westchester,” said Martin Ginsburg, founder and CEO of Ginsburg Development Companies. “Christie Place is the first true luxury condominium ever built in the Village of Scarsdale. It offers a whole new choice for long-time Westchester empty nesters who no longer need their big homes with big headaches but don’t want to ‘trade-down.’ Here, buyers are finding the location, design and quality they are looking for in an intimate-scale building that offers comfort and security and allows socialization at the same time. There is tremendous pent-up demand for this. It fills a real void in the marketplace and offers people an alternative to more urban high-rise living.”
Christie Place, with only 42 deluxe residences, is staffed with a 24-hour concierge. A private landscaped plaza bridges the two buildings. This lushly planted private outdoor environment features fountains, seasonal flowers, an arbor, umbrella tables and an herb garden for residents. It is an ideal, quiet retreat where residents can enjoy each other as well as fresh air and sunshine.
Elegant one-, two- and three-bedroom condominium homes are priced from the high $800,000s to more than $2 million. The homes, with an abundance of expansive windows and open floor plans, feature gracious finishes and features such as hardwood floors throughout, Viking kitchens, Waterworks faucets and marble master bathrooms. Many of the residences feature private terrace gardens that provide single-family home size outdoor living spaces. Some homes can be combined to create mansion-sized suites.
Architect Bradford Perkins designed Christie Place to reflect the timeless character of downtown Scarsdale’s Tudor architecture. Perkins, whose firm Perkins Eastman is one of the world’s largest and most reputable, resides in Scarsdale and gave this project his personal attention.
The buildings’ elegant architecture, with its copper-roofed turrets, is crafted to mesh perfectly with Scarsdale’s signature architecture.
A longtime Scarsdale resident, Amy Lascher, who has lived in the village for 35 years, purchased at Christie Place so she could stay close to friends and family. Lascher, whose youngest daughters are about to move out of the house and leave her an empty nest, said she looks forward to meeting her new neighbors at Christie Place and being right in the heart of Scarsdale.
“I’m a people person,” said Lascher, who was widowed in 2006. “It’s far more exciting in the village. I will meet many more people and have much more to do just outside my door.” Lascher is looking forward to moving into one of Christie Place’s largest homes, with sliding doors leading onto her private terrace. Lascher considered buying in a high-rise, but decided a home with this large a private outdoor space in this ideal location was much more appealing.
A select few residences (like Lascher’s) will have the private roof terraces, but everyone at Christie Place will enjoy the Roof Garden and Club Room, which will be segmented off from a street-level restaurant that will serve lunch, brunch and dinner.
The buildings will have elegant, wood-paneled lobbies staffed by concierges eager to satisfy residents’ needs. The buildings have a fitness room with personal trainer, a secured indoor garage and a full camera security system on all doors.
Madeline and Chet Vogel, 30-year Chappaqua residents, looked at Christie Place and found a top-quality, well-constructed living space with an intimate feel. They also saw a convenient location offering easy access to the village and Bronx River Parkway, and the close proximity to New York City. Having done extensive renovations to their vacation home, the Vogels saw this as an opportunity to buy something new, with high quality construction and finishes.
“This also seemed to be a unique design, with only 42 residences in two four-story buildings,” said Chet Vogel, a Manhattan-based consulting engineer who designs mechanical and electrical systems for buildings. “It is far smaller in scale than the large high-rise residential buildings elsewhere in the county, and will have the feeling of a small community.”
Other factors that sold the Vogels on Christie Place included the short distance to the Metro-North train station, and its frequent service to and from New York City, along with Scarsdale’s acclaimed reputation. They were also impressed with the nine-foot ceilings in the condo; the quality construction incorporating soundproofing elements to isolate external noise and provide a quiet environment; and the outstanding reputation of the Ginsburg Development Company.
Martin Ginsburg’s own experience with changing home-ownership needs demonstrates the attractiveness of condo living to an empty nester. A few years back Ginsburg and his wife moved out of their spacious family home and into a condo. They were so unsure of this lifestyle change that they held off selling their house with all of its sentimental value. After all, they had lived there for more than 30 years and enjoyed its 2.5 acres with swimming pool, tennis courts and pool.
Once the Ginsburgs moved into their spacious, brand-new, elegantly appointed condominium home, their concerns were quickly allayed. “No sooner had we moved in than we forgot about the sentimental attachment to our wonderful old home,” he said. Ginsburg believes Christie Place has much to offer others at the same life stage considering a similar switch to condo living.
“It is a big emotional hurdle to get over, but once you do, you never look back,” said Ginsburg. “Christie Place is perfect for empty nesters from Westchester County who would like to stay close to their hometowns, friends and family. Scarsdale is a wonderful place to live. Whether you’re an executive commuting to Manhattan or a retiree who wants to live in the suburbs and still be able to enjoy the Big Apple, Christie Place is perfect.”
The retail component, which is 80 percent leased, includes a Bank of America at the corner of Christie Place and East Parkway, and a restaurant with outdoor dining facing Chase Park. The restaurant is being designed by Mario Fava and Luigi and Mauro Lusardi, who own Moscato Ristorante in Scarsdale and Lusardi’s and Chat 19 in Larchmont. They will offer home services to all Christie Place residents.
“We have focused on having interesting retail business in the building that would be a service to residents of the building,” Ginsburg said.
The Scarsdale Metro-North railroad station is across the street from Christie Place, providing convenient access to New York City’s workplaces, arts and nightlife. Scarsdale’s shops, restaurants and services are all a short walk away, eliminating the need to drive for most of life’s daily needs. The beautiful Bronx River Parkway Reservation also is nearby, providing hiking and biking trails through the woods surrounding the river, while the Bronx River Parkway itself provides easy access to White Plains and New York City.
Christie Place continues GDC’s legacy of building high-quality, well-designed residences that benefit the communities they serve for generations. GDC, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, is one of the Northeast’s best respected luxury home builders, having received numerous local and national awards for its site planning, home design and superior amenities. Marbury Corners, a downtown redevelopment venture in nearby Pelham, N.Y., that is very similar to Christie Place in size and location, received a National Association of Home Builders award in 2006 for being one of the best “Smart Growth” communities of its size in the nation.
Christie Place’s sales office is open from 9:30 until 5:30 seven days a week and can be reached at (914) 722-0800.
Current GDC communities include AVANT Chelsea (New York City); Riverwatch at Greystone (Yonkers, N.Y.); The Harbors at Haverstraw (N.Y.); The Fairways at Wallkill (N.Y.); Christie Place (Scarsdale, N.Y.); Ridgewood at Middlebury (Conn.); The Greens at Gillette Ridge (Bloomfield, Conn.) and Quaker Green (West Hartford, Conn.). To place your name on GDC’s priority list for future communities, log on to www.gdc-homes.com, click on “future communities” and then “name of development” or call 1-866-GDC-4466.
Ginsburg Development Companies (GDC), established in 1963 and based in Valhalla, N.Y., is one of the nation’s premier full-service real estate design, development and management companies. Martin Ginsburg is the founder and CEO. GDC has developed more than 10,000 residential units during its 45-year corporate history. GDC’s residential sales Web sites are www.gdc-homes.com and www.gdcmetro.com. Information about GDC’s commercial ventures, corporate activities and charitable foundation is available at www.gdcllc.com.
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