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Read the press release here.

Steampunk-Themed Luxury Project Aims to Draw 'Rich Hipsters' to Hudson Sq.

 The luxury development at 15 Renwick has been built to its full height.
15 Renwick Tops Out
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HUDSON SQUARE — A self-styled steampunk-themed luxury development under construction in Hudson Square that is hoping to attract "rich hipsters" is as tall as it's going to get.

Over the past few weeks, the 15 Renwick project topped out at 11 stories, and it is on schedule to be done by the end of 2015, said Dan Oelsner, vice president of development at the company behind project, IGI-USA.

“Hudson Square is evolving as a very special, boutique neighborhood, and 15 Renwick reflects the same,” said Oelsner, who joked recently that the building would have no trouble drawing in residents from a neighborhood "full of rich hipsters."

“The sales gallery has only been open for a month and the response has been terrific.”

Renderings and ads for the building feature fantastical 18th- and 19th-century-themed characters and settings, playing off of the neighborhood's industrial history and into an aesthetic that the developers are pitching as "steampunk." The development's website features images of old-fashioned cars, stone bridges, tall sailing ships and characters in elaborate Victorian costumes and headpieces.

The facade of the building will feature framed windows that tilt and turn out to open, mixed with copper panels treated to give them an aged, industrial look. The lobby will have a floor tiled with bespoke patterned cement and a polished stucco ceiling, and the bedrooms of the 31 residences will include herringbone-patterned flooring.

The amenities, too, will be in keeping with the 19th-century luxury ideal, with a 24-hour "butler" and an old-time boxing gym. The building will also offer modern amenities like a laundry room, bike storage and a roof deck.

Listing prices for the units range from a little more than $2 million for a third-floor two-bedroom apartment to more than $7 million for one of the building's four duplex penthouses with attached private terraces.

At a party celebrating the opening of the sales office a few weeks ago, Oelsner dismissed the notion that linking the development to a fashion trend would be limiting. He said the steampunk features would appeal to workers in the media, technology and fashion companies based in Hudson Square, who would understand the idea behind the design.

“This area is full of rich hipsters,” Oelsner joked. "If you get it, you're our kind of buyer."