Condos coming to former Chelsea club

A new luxury conversion called the Alma is planned for a former Flatiron District club that was used as the location for a dance sequence in “Desperately Seeking Susan,” the 1985 Madonna movie.

The building at 30 West 21st Street in Chelsea was once the home of the notorious ’80s dance club Danceteria.

Darren Sukenik, founder of The Sukenik Group, is the Alma’s exclusive agent and has been an advisor for the Alma team, working on its development and choosing finishes.
A six-story townhouse by the same developer, Beck Street Capital, is being built next door.

Sukenik said “the soul was ripped out of the building” back when Danceteria epitomized the sex, drugs and rock and roll excesses of the ’80s.

“The concept of the building is ‘alma,’ which means soul [in Spanish]. We have restored and rejuvenated the building,” Sukenik said.

The neo-Renaissance style loft building, designed by Buchman & Fox and built in 1907, is part of the Ladies Mile Historic District. Suknenik said the development avoided “trendy, tasteless” designs.

The Alma contains 11 through-floor lofts, each occupying over 4,000 square feet.
 
Amenities include maid service, a pet spa, storage and bike rooms.

The top two floors are reserved for a penthouse, complete with a pool on the roof.

The lofts are priced between $5 million and $9.5 million, and will be ready for residents in 12 to 18 months.

“We tried to create a full lifestyle project,” said Kevin Comer, Beck Street Capital’s senior managing director. “Every luxury building has a gym and concierge, we want to take it to the next step and provide a range of services.”

Karl Fischer is the architect, with interiors by Roman and Williams. The Alma sales office, located on the first floor of the building, will open in two weeks, he said.

Beck Street Capital bought the building for $25 million in March, 2007.