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Read the NY Times story about middle American developers co-opting "loft" style designs yourself, because it's hilarious. Gothamist can see the advertisements now: "NYC Loft Living...For $350,000!" For $350,000 in NYC, you can either get a 400 square foot "loft" (think high ceilings, but not much more) or a big but condemned one in the far reaches of Brooklyn. And if people want to live in faux-factories today, then surely tenements and railroad apartments will be next!
Metropolis had an great article about this New Urbanist movement, specifically looking at the Boulder, CO faux-factory development in the Times piece (Gothamist loves the mention of Cayce Pollard). If you want to know how lofty these designs are, Gothamist found the development: Cornerstone Homes. Click for the floorplans of the hokey-named Cannery, Steamplant, Firehouse, Ironworks, and Ballpark designs. And one of the most famous New Urban developments in the past two decades is Seaside in Florida (whose carefully planned community was used as the "set" in The Truman Show), but did you know our own Jackson Heights, Queens is only of the earliest New Urban neighborhoods?
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That's true. Those midwesterners have a lot of nerve, trying to use different building materials and architectural styles. How dare they?
It's like living in a Blue State, without all the Blue State hassles!
Let's not be so quick to judge--what about the fake siding on the brick buildings in Greenpoint?
I bought a loft in Tribeca a few years ago, sold this year and bought another in Tribeca with part of the proceeds. Instead of being somehow elitist about this I can see nothing wrong with calling any other development in any other city a loft.
In NYC we have generic post war high rises on the UES being marketed as "loft like" for those uptowners that don't want to venture out of their comfort zone. We have the aforementioned pre war 400 sqft studios being called lofts. Which is worse? Why is this not hilarious? Does it really matter?
The point of the article is more to do with architecture in housing becoming more adventerous all over the US. Contrast that with the built to a price condos and apt buildings in NYC and NYC does not come off favourably.
Check out Dwell magazine for examples of truly innovative, environmentally friendly, beatiful homes and you may get an idea of how far behind NYC really is when it comes to our homes.