The media might be making you fat (not that there is anything wrong with that), but the Times reports that a new apartment building in the Bronx is aiming to do the opposite by helping its low-income residents lose weight with an airy gym, jazzy stairs and passive-aggressive signage.
The eight-story, 63-unit, co-op called The Melody was built with keeping active in mind. So not only does it include a gym inside and exercise equipment outside, it also boasts a well-lit, decorated stairwell with light jazz coming over the speakers. And outside of that staircase is a sign that reads: “A person’s health can be judged by which they take two of at a time, pills or stairs.”
The $18 million building is meant for families with incomes of $90,000 or less and was built by the Blue Sea Development Company with Habitat for Humanity. Much of the funding for the co-op was provided by the city, state and the borough of the Bronx. Prices in the building run from $104,435 for one-bedroom apartments to $219,997 for three-bedrooms—and it actually looks pretty nice in the brochure [PDF]. It will be ready for occupancy later this summer and 40 percent of the units have already had contracts signed.
