Maybe the most anticipated housing
development in downtown Rochester’s recent history is The Sagamore on East, a
$13 million new building of 23 luxury condominiums on East Avenue. While most
other housing projects downtown reutilize older construction, The Sagamore has
risen from an empty spot, what, since the ’60s, has been a tear in East
Avenue’s landscape.
In the 19th century this block
between Scio and Swan Streets held three houses. As East Avenue became more
commercial, residences gave way to commercial space. Once those were demolished
the space was left unused until Christa Development came up with the idea for
luxury housing like nothing else in the city. Sagamore is not complete yet, but
18 of the 23 units have sold already — their $300,000 to $600,000 price tags
notwithstanding. This is a new experience in Rochester downtown housing.
“It’s really a lifestyle,” says Gar
Lowenguth, associate broker with Remax Realty and the broker for Sagamore.
Lowenguth says that both the building and the neighborhood offer desirable
conveniences. So much so, in fact, that he and his wife decided to move there
from their current home — also on East Avenue.
“I joke that I automatically have two
parking spaces for the Little Theatre,” he says.
Lowenguth has sold units to a
cross-section of people, he says, some surprisingly young, some from other city
addresses. The bulk of buyers, however, are either from the suburbs or out of
town. He cautions, though, against the word “resurgence.”
“That implies a tidal wave,” he says.
“This is a niche market. It’s not for everybody. Not everybody wants to live in
North Greece, not everybody wants to live in Farmington. There’s a
cross-section of needs. Everything can’t be subsidized; everything can’t be $1
million.”
He likens the area around Sagamore to
the streets of New York City’s Upper West or Upper East Sides (“at a sixth of
the price”).
“There’s a little neighborhood down
there,” he says. “All the neighbors and shop owners know each other.”
The building was designed with an eye
to pre-war Manhattan apartment buildings. The first floor presents to the
street, but the top floors are broken up by balconies that give the faรงade
variety. Of seven floors total, two are devoted to retail, office, and gallery
space, and the remaining five are residential.
The first four residential levels
each have five units. Each one has a balcony and terrace, nine-foot ceilings,
and more than 2000 square feet of space apiece. The top floor is divided into
three penthouses with 3400 square feet each and eleven-foot ceilings. The
luxury is also in the details: customized floor plans, a doorman/concierge,
French doors leading to the terrace, gas/electric fireplaces, two-room master
suites, and a car cleaning area in the garage.
“They’re using nice materials,”
Comeau says. “It will have a quality look to it.”
The
Sagamore on East, 130 East Avenue
This article appears in Oct 5-11, 2005.
