By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — Frank Gehry’s first skyscraper is finally opening its doors, developer Bruce Ratner announced Monday.
New York by Gehry, a 76-story tower just south of the Brooklyn Bridge, will open its apartment doors to prospective renters this week. Visitors will be able to tour a 37th-floor rental gallery, along with 18 model apartments, which Gehry also designed.
Gehry said in a statement that designing the interiors of the apartments as well as the building’s exterior made him feel connected to the thousands of people who would soon call the tower home.
"I hope they like it," the architect said in the statement.
The 850-foot building at 8 Spruce St., formerly known as Beekman Tower, has already made its mark on downtown’s skyline, with a rippling stainless steel skin that is visible from all around lower Manhattan and beyond.
The cascading facade carves out 200 different layouts for the 903 apartments. Many have bay windows, an unusual feature that the project’s backers hope will draw renters.
Citi Habitats would control the leasing and handle appointment requests, a spokeswoman for the developer, Forest City Ratner, said. Citi Habitats did not immediately respond to questions about appointments and pricing.
Forest City Ratner previously said monthly rents would range from $4,000 to $15,000. Move-in will begin this spring.
The tower will offer a full range of luxury amenities, including a grilling terrace, a game room, a 50-foot swimming pool, a fitness center, a screening room and a children’s playroom.
The building’s orange brick base will house the Spruce Street School, a new K-8 moving in this fall, along with space for New York Downtown Hospital.
In addition to information about the project, the new 37th floor gallery will feature Gehry’s models of the project and his first sketch of the design, made on a napkin.
