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Roland Li for Real Estate Weekly
The tower of the Edge pierces the Williamsburg skyline, its tan-and-blue façade providing a striking contrast with the muddier browns and reds of its low-rise neighbors. Over the summer, the development, which includes a 30-story tower with 360 condo units and a smaller structure with 205 units, served as a backdrop to the Pool Party concerts at the nearby East River State Park. (A photo from a show adorns the Edge’s sales office.) But in the frosty early spring, the area had an almost tranquil atmosphere, disturbed only by a construction crew working to build new children’s playgrounds.
The juxtaposition of families and hipsters, intersecting with notions of wealth and gentrification, has profoundly changed the neighborhood. But the Edge’s marketing efforts seem to seek inclusion – its website has a prominent link to a Times story that insists that the area is child-friendly, while other marketing materials depict youthful characters, promising “Hardcore Luxury.”
However, the interior of the building is more dignified than radical. Model units, designed by Andi Pepper, wife of the building’s architect, Stephen Jacobs, are clean and modernist. Sunlight floods in through the windows, and the bulk of the Manhattan skyline is visible, swallowing the horizon. The balconies give the exterior of the building a set of glassy teeth.
On the ground floor of the larger tower is a 40,000 s/f amenity space, with a full basketball court, gym and screening room. A lounge, with lights dimmed, connects to a small library for residents. A pool and jacuzzi look out on the East River.
The Edge recently passed the 50% sold mark, with 165 units closed and over 100 in contract. It was developed by Jeffrey Levine of Douglaston Development, and the Developers Group is the exclusive sales and marketing firm.
