New York by Gehry

The one star is for the lack of confidence I am feeling, but I will update when our deposit is returned. I am concerned our deposit will not be returned IN FULL. We have been tenants for nearly 5 years. Perfect tenants, never late with payments, never any complaints to management except for 2 things: 1. We have lived in 3 apartments within the building and after one of the moves, we did not receive our security deposit back within the 60 days as promised in the terms of the lease. I had to ask repeatedly that it be returned. 2. In our first apartment in the building, my husband viewed the unit before it was completed back in 2011. There was a hole under the cooktop, right where you would assume an oven would be installed. Upon move in, there was a microwave in that spot but no oven at all in the unit. It was never disclosed to us that our unit would not come with an oven. When I called management requesting that an oven be installed in our unit, he responded «you signed the lease… You took the unit as is.» When viewing a partially constructed unit, asking «will I have an oven» is nearly on par with «will I have a toilet.» No, my husband didn’t ask if we would have an oven, because that is a ridiculous thing to ask when viewing in a luxury building. We were offered to move to another unit, but decided to make do with a countertop oven we purchased, because really, why should we have to pay to move again… Management actually said to me «it’s a healthy microwave with new technology… And it can broil.»
Another issue that is not really a complaint, just a communication of fact is that upon finding out our offer on a house was accepted (when previously rejected) just 7 days into a renewal lease in 2014, management would not release us from the lease. We understand a contract is written for a reason, but we were perfect tenants for over 3 years and were merely trying to buy our first home. We didn’t say to each other «hey, forget this building, screw them… Let’s just go rent someplace else because we feel like it. Oops, sorry Gehry, we changed our minds.» No, we were trying to build some equity and we were 7 DAYS into a renewal. A prominent staff member shook his head upon hearing this. Fortunately, we were able to assign the lease to a new tenant we found on our own. If we hadn’t, we would’ve had to pay 4 months rent, over 20k. If you don’t live in the building, please understand that prospective tenants here are being sold a lifestyle experience, and part of a quality lifestyle experience includes communication and dealings with a healthy dose of humanity; without that, there is no quality lifestyle, only cold buying and selling.
The real reason why I am frustrated is that there were some scratches and minor gouges in the floors upon moving to the last unit as well as other minor flaws in the apartment. We called attention to this and maintenance came to photograph the flaws and our file was updated as pre-​existing to our move in. In fact, he dismissed all the flaws as nothing to worry about at all. «This is nothing, we only care if it’s some huge gouge… Don’t worry.» At our move out inspection today, the very same maintenance staff member wrote all good on the report, yet wrote «multiple scratches throughout floors» under the damages paragraph. When we questioned this, he said he had to write something because, yes, there were some scratches. But here’s the big problem with this: If the floors were in acceptable condition for our move in, why is someone calling attention to scratches, previously noted as from another tenant, as «damage» on OUR report? If this is normal wear and tear (and it must have been, because the flaws were there for our move in), why did he write anything on the report at all? Something doesn’t add up and I am afraid it may be a way that people are being unfairly charged for floor repair work, that is obviously not always actually being done going forward. I wonder if the previous tenant was charged for repairs yet clearly a «quick fix» was done for us upon moving in. Now perhaps someone will try to charge us for old scratches? I had some friends who had a bad experience regarding their deposit and hey, who knows if the deductions were fair or not. But that is why I made sure to call attention to these minor things as soon as possible and management did indeed update our file. Yet today, we do not have complete confidence we will be refunded in full as we should be. We take pride in every place we live. It was our home. We took the very best care ANYONE possibly could of the apartment. I expect the full deposit back. When it is received I will gladly update my review. We have enjoyed our years here. I hope the memory can truly be positive.

We have lived in the Gehry building for 4 years. It is truly the doormen and neighborhood that has kept us here this long. We love all of the guys at the front as well as the maintenance.
The management is horrible. I have repeatedly asked for no smoking signs in the courtyard. The management has said they ordered the signs but the parks department made them take them down. The communication is flippant and patronizing. I called the parks department and they said they have no jurisdiction over this area at all. The quality of life with all of the smoke and a toddler is not good.
The new amenities company is too expensive and condescending.

A few months ago the building management decided to change amenities provider resulting in an increase in amenity fees by $ 800 a person/​year. The arrogance with which they did this has left a bitter taste in a lot of peoples mouths. Also the cigarette smoke smell seems to be a issue amongst many floors. Ours went away over this winter but seems to be back. We have lived here for 4 years now but not sure how much longer given the above.

BE WARNED. When you decide to sign a lease at New York by Gehry, add $ 110 ($ 220 if you are renting with a roommate) per month to the actual rent on your contract. We’ve been tenants for several years with the understanding that our rent was higher than comparable apartments downtown due to the included amenities (gym, 50-​foot pool, etc.). That said, beginning 2015, the management company subcontracted all the amenities to a third-​party company, which is now forcing each individual to pay $ 110 per month (PLUS A SIGN-​UP FEE AND ONLY 6 GUEST PASSES PER YEAR) just to have access to the «amenities» that were originally included in everyone’s lease. This is incredibly misleading and a misuse of the term «amenities.» To be clear, this is just an apartment gym, which doesn’t even have a squat rack or a bench press – yet they are charging Equinox prices. What’s next? Charging per elevator ride up to your floor? By the way, half the treadmills (and 5 out of the 7 grills on the grill deck) are usually broken at any given point in time.

It is telling that the poor reviews are often from past tenants and the betters ones are from current residents. I would have rated the building a ⁴⁄₅ while living there, despite the terrible service from the management office. The amenities are great and the building staff WONDERFUL.
Alas, if you are contemplating moving here, be prepared for the **possibility** — I can’t say definitively since mine is but one experience — that you’ll lose a good portion of your security deposit to repair costs that you may not feel are deserved. Two examples: #1 our apartment was delivered to us with dented refrigerator doors, which we had to replace upon move-​out. #2 Apple Cleaners (the building cleaning company) dented our counters, and we had to pay for repairs. Those two items alone were $ 1K. Just a word of warning.

I lived there for 1 year and just moved out, but I have to say the building provided me with great services. I don’t know why some previous reviews said they only washed window once a year. During this year, I received emails from building management at least 10 times indicating that the window wash was scheduled to certain days, and I encountered window wash twice. Every window wash was scheduled to weekends, it’s clear that most window wash was conducted during the time residents were not in the building. I would say this building distinguishes itself from other buildings in neighborhood in the following ways:
1 Nice sound proof; I used to live in 200 water street for 3 months and because of its bad sound proof, I moved to this building. I hate overnight party and went to bed almost everyday before 12.
2 Great service; you can send repair request, front desk instruction and enroll in click pay on building link. Every month it only took me several seconds to pay the rent and electricity fees with just 1 click. Super convenient. I went on a vacation last Thanksgiving, and left keys at front desk to my friends, who came to NYC during the time I was no here. Isn’t it cool? You can also drop something to someone at front desk and just provide clear instruction. The doormen are super nice. They also help you call a taxi if you need. They have a separate service called valet, which helps receive and distribute deliveries.
3 Every apt here is equipped with a washing machine and a dryer in bathroom.
4 Nice wood floor and refrigerator, while most other buildings don’t have.
Things I don’t like here:
1 Too many dogs were kept in the building.
2 Amenities are not complimentary. $ 500/​year. Not bad.
3 Building’s Wifi is horrible. Recommend use Verizon or other services.
4 Cell phone signal is bad if you use AT&T or T-​Mobile. Verizon here is not affected.

If this building could get zero stars, it would. The main problem here, as evidenced by various reviews is the management. For a building that charges rent like NYBG does, you would expect management to be responsive and accomodating to residents; however, this could not be farther from the truth at NYBG. Just look at the other reviews management: (i)does not respond to residents requests to have windows cleaned, (ii) does not respond to complaints about smoking, (iii) does not respond to issues with dog urine in the hallways, (iv) cannot prepare units for tenant move-​in and (v) is not accommodating when residents need to leave the building for family emergencies (using such events as a way to extort tenants for more money).
The overall feeling I got from living in the building was a very stuffy and snobby feeling from the residents and staff (other than the doormen who were amazing). Notwithstanding these factors, the building was not great. The appliances always break and the space is way too small.
There are so many better options in NYC so do yourself a favor and avoid this building.

We have lived in the building nearly two years and couldn’t be happier with the quality of the service, the amenities, and the finishes in the building. It was a big jump for us but we both agree that you get what you pay for here.
Maintenance is managed through building link and the turn around time is better than what I get in my corporate offices. All of the employees are courteous and prompt and every repair has been as good as new. I should mention that the majority of needs have centered around clogged drains, which would happen in any high-​rise by nature of plumbing.
The doormen are amazing — they knew us by first name after just two months — and they always greet us upon entering with «welcome home». They also ensure a level of security that certainly benefits some of the more notable tenants in the building but indeed appreciated by all.
The building is dog friendly and child friendly and the gym is as nice as equinox. We doubted whether we would make full use of them when we signed but amazingly we have used all but those for kids, as we are without.
All in, we have loved living here and have recommended at least two other friends who have signed in the building since.

The building is nice (from the outside) and is very conveniently located, but that’s the end of the pros. I lived there for over two years and my lease end date could not have come fast enough. Management is absolutely atrocious. For about 8 months my apartment became nothing more than a $ 4k+ storage unit due to construction across the street and management was less than helpful in providing any sort of accommodation/​compensation for the situation. With the exception of a couple doormen/​concierges, the majority are extremely rude and unhelpful. In addition, I moved into a «new» apartment that had all sorts of problems which they told me not to worry about and now they want to nickel and dime me for charges for those exact problems that existed when I moved in. I do not recommend that anyone pay the exorbitant rents for the poor management and subpar service.

I think some of the disgruntled reviewers may be real estate brokers with competitive properties, because as a resident of NYBG for over two and a half years, I am fully satisfied.
The apartments are new, clean, and have amazing views. My apartment has a full wall of nearly floor-​to-​ceiling windows that overlook the East River and Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, as well as a northern exposure with a view of the Empire State. The apartments aren’t huge, but they are smartly designed.
The people who live here are, for the most part, mature professionals. Aside from the occasional surround sound TV blare, it’s pretty quiet. Residents don’t go out of their way to meet the neighbors, but that’s OK.
The amenities are solid. I haven’t used the screening room or the golf simulators, or taken advantage of the special spin and yoga classes, but the pool and the gym are great, and the $ 750 annual fee is pretty reasonable. It is a bummer that you can’t consume alcohol in the amenity spaces – a dry BBQ or Oscar viewing party is kind of lame, but I get it – it’s a liability.
It’s a full-​service building, with a maintenance crew, doormen, and a concierge. The staff is, for the most part, really helpful. If anything needs to be fixed, they’re on it. I once submitted a repair request (my towel rack was loose) at 9 A.M. and I got an email an hour later saying it was taken care of.
All of the doormen are polite and go out of their way for you. This was especially true during Hurricane Sandy, when the building lost power. Orlando, in particular, is a superstar – he always goes the extra mile. He keys your floor when you board the elevator so you don’t have to rifle through your purse for your security fob, which is a lifesaver if you just got a manicure – and just really considerate after a long day. He’s very personable, and even remembered my boyfriend’s mom after meeting her, like, once before.
The «luxury attaché» service offers perks like blowouts in the building, and helps secure event tickets and restaurant reservations. They got me a last-​minute reservation at Locanda Verde for my boyfriend’s birthday when our original plans fell through. The building also hosts thoughtful, community-​minded get-​togethers for the residents – last night it was a clambake with lobster, mussels, clams, and rose. (Not too shabby.)
My only gripes with the building are: 1) I wish they’d wash our windows more frequently, so we could fully enjoy our views. 2) There needs to be more bicycle storage. You only get one spot per apartment, and there’s a $ 35/​month fee, which was recently upped for no apparent reason. At that rate, I could buy a new bike every year. Which I might need to do, since my second bike was raped and pillaged while locked up on the street outside the building. 3) They could do a better job of cleaning up after the dogs. It’s a dog shit minefield in front of the building.
Overall, living here has made my life much easier and more enjoyable. I love coming home.

Have lived here for nearly a year and have nothing but largely positive things to say:
1) The aesthetic of the place is wonderful. It’s beautiful to come home to an artistic masterpiece every day — it just never gets old.
2) I barely used the amenities because I have a stupid busy job, but the few times that I did, had a great experience. Gym is well maintained (generally, with the exception of on-​board tv’s that are fuzzy/​barely work) and the library is a great place to step away for a quick get away with your laptop. I should have used many of the other amenities more, such as the yoga room and theater, but just couldn’t find the time
3) I think the rooms are beautifully done. The kitchens are well equipped, the bathroom has nice little touches, and the place just generally seems to function well
4) The in-​suite views are breathtaking
5) The Doormen are the absolute best I’ve ever seen. Such a great way to come come every day
6) The extended (as opposed to immediate) neighborhood is beautiful. Tribeca is just a few steps away, as is a whole foods, the water, wall street, and the majestic etc
Cons:
1) It’s pricey, and the amenities are pricey. Hard to justify paying for the latter unless you really use it
2) Neighborhood leaves much to be desired. It’s smelly, boring, and not great food (or seamless options). Be prepared to use something like postmates to order from out of the immediate delivery area

ADORE this building. We have lived here since early July 2011, and at that point the building was relatively empty. The doormen are truly probably the best in the city and are so helpful, kind and genuine and they always make me feel welcome when I come home. Particularly Omari and Orlando who are the absolute dream team. We are unfortunately moving in August, but my feet will be dragging quite a bit on the way out. Our apartment is lovely, quiet and nicely designed.
The building is INCREDIBLY dog friendly and all of the doormen know our dogs name as well. We even let him run in the hallway with his puppy neighbors all the time and no one minds at all. This is definitely the building for you if you are a dog person. If you have something that needs to be fixed in the apartment, the maintenance team is also extremely responsive and you never have to wait long for a repair. The covered driveway is also ideal for unloading the car after long trips.
The only negative thing I can say about the building is that the apartments are a bit overpriced. However, there is rent stability in the apartment so your rent will not go up more than 2 – 3 percent every year (but you must consider your net rent was probably lower than the actual rent due to the 1 month or 2 month free rent deal).
The neighborhood is not great unfortunately, which is why we will be leaving. It is incredibly convenient to the subway, but there are very few restaurants and the Fi-​DI is not the cleanest. It is close to Soho and Tribeca, but sometimes you just want a few restaurants/​other amenities within a 5 minute walk.
So sad to be moving out but I would recommend this building to anyone, especially if you care more about your building/​apartment than the neighborhood.

as a design/​architecture junkie, living here was my little dream come true. now i have to move out soon because i bought a place but man this place was awesome. (heck i may just live here till the lease ends)
Orlando and Omar, thanks for remembering everyone’s name and warm smiles with «welcome home.» Ashlee at Cooper Square, thank you for lightning speed response whenever i have a question.
they once had a free golf lesson for residents with no sales pressure. need i say more?
The building managed to have one elevator running for each elevator bank, cold water running and gas stove working most of the time during Sandy.
I still can’t figure out how to use the AC yet and one time the cabinet under bathroom sink flooded «mildly» after some maintenance check up but i forgive them because i love this building so much.

Our one-​year lease will expire this summer. The staff has been great as has been the view from our apartment. However, without the one-​month free rent concession given by building management to most of the initial tenants, our rent will increase by over $ 1,000/mos. I’ve found the leasing office’s tactics for early lease renewals to be obnoxiously aggressive. While this building is nice, it is no nicer than many other new buildings that have gone up recently in better locations (many of which are also cheaper). Moreover, the immediate area has become even scruffier since Sandy and there’s a tremendous amount of construction noise and dust expected over the next year due to a new hotel going up across the street. My advice is look around carefully before signing up here.

I live in a 2 bedroom on the 45^th floor facing the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State building. The staff are top notch. Very nice and they somehow remember my name. Being an entrepreneur without a 9 – 5 I can say this building is great for a few reasons. 1, Most of the tenants are at work during the day. 2, the gym has everything you need for a solid workout… except for a squat rack. Last, the viewing room and reading rooms.
This building beats any other in the area and because of the price you don’t have that frat boy crowd like 2 Gold. Alpha male lameness, sorry bro.

I just want to say I have lived here for a year and this is hands down the best management company I have every dealt with. During hurricane sandy they hae kept us informed and protected. They are responsive to email and really hospitable. Much love and so sad to leave but we are buying a house and its time to move on.

«We live in the tallest residential building in the US of A» — do you know how many times I’ve told my peeps and loved ones this? Enough to drive them crazy!
LoVEEEE my Gehry building! I’m sure you’ve seen it… looks like a giant, giant transformer building that is about to twist up in the sky and turn into some super hot rod car. All the tourists are at the base of the building with their heads turned up to the sky, cameras out, thinking what the hellll.
Gehry boosts beautiful, sleek, modern apartments with gorgeous views and with a top notch management group (DOOR MEN are the greatest!). Little pricey, but your view and gorgeous giant island in the kitchen pays for it. Washer and dryer in unit too — yes, please. Big, giant windows also a plus, LOVE my view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge with the «Watchtower» to keep me in check with time and temp.
The only thing i’m not a fan of is the paper thin walls… sorry neighbors, we looveee to party. In good taste of course. Also, not really feeling the elementary school at the base of the building, manly because those moms glare at me when I take my little dog out to pee — hey, don’t hate me cause you ain’t me ;).
Gym is wonderful, free weights, tons of cardio equipment with TV’s that help you ZONE the F out and clean, CLEAN clean!
Love the shipping department and maintenance always comes to my rescue fast. People who live here also all seem to be decent and cool.

I’ve lived in the Gehry building for about four months and am already planning to move out when my lease is up. While the front desk staff is very friendly and helpful, the management company and amenities are disappointing.
Despite the very high rents we pay to live here, the management company continues to squeeze money out of you whenever possible (I think they’re getting a bit greedy because they’ve had trouble renting out the building). Want to use the amenities? That’s an annual fee of $ 400. Want to rent the amenities for an evening? That can cost you up to $ 1300 plus a $ 2,000 + security deposit. Locked out? They’ll let you back in, but it’ll cost you $ 100.
The amenities are located on the 7^th floor, so the only view you’ll get is of the neighboring building’s air conditioning units. The outdoor spaces are not very relaxing at all with the bad view and street noise. The gym is clean, but small and basic. The other common spaces are choppy and feel small and claustrophobic.
I was new to New York when I moved in, and I didn’t have much time to apartment hunt. Over the past months, I’ve realized there are many more, much better places to live.

There are certain issues that go along with City living. You may hear your neighbors. You may smell food cooking. You may get wafts of other people’s smoke and need to open your window. And however new and beautiful, NYBG has over 900 apartments and will have these issues.
That said, living here is amazing. The building is architecturally awesome. Coming home is lovely. The service staff are great. I have had no issues with building management, and I had furniture delivered prior to moving in with the management assistance. Any repair issues have been handled within 48 hours of complaint.
Location is perfect. Close to all major subways. And the amenities are lovely. I love it!

Very early days but so far I have been very impressed.
–Extremely friendly staff, like in a genuine and pleasant way.
–Facilities are amazing, better than any hotel I’ve been in with perhaps one of two exceptions in the entire world.
— Very spacious, hardly anyone uses facilities so you feel like a billionaire in your own golf simulator.
–Problems get resolved quickly.
–Amazing views from the apartments I have seen.
–Soundproofing is amazing, you don’t hear anything.
–Most residents seem nice and friendly, but not some spoiled college vibe.
If I would have to moan it would be.
–Some places a little style over comfort, the movie theater (not yet open) –looks painfully uncomfortable. Some of the lounges are so minimalist you feel bad messing them up by actually being in them.
— Taking a while to get things built — the movie theater still not open, and the reason is they can’t build steps — how odd.
— Pool hours limited, wish they could just let people use it at their own risk, rather than employing life guard.
— The people that show potential renters around act as if you are lucky to be allowed in, come on people, if the building was renting that fast you
would not be offering incentives.
— There has been a lot of bad press about the postal pick up closing at 9pm, it’s not bothered me one bit, its not hard to work around.
But overall I would recommend it, I really would.