For $5.15M, a 3BR in Robert A.M. Stern’s throwback Upper West Side condo

The building on West 81st Street was inspired by the design of prewar apartment buildings

All eyes—the real estate gawker ones, that is—may have been on Robert A.M. Stern's überluxury condo tower at 220 Central Park South earlier this year, but on the Upper West Side, one of the firm's slightly more modest projects, at 250 West 81st Street, has been making swift progress. ("Modest" is a relative term here—the cheapest apartments were still going for more than $3 million.)

Of the building's 31 apartments, just two are still for grabs, and closings have already begun for the ones that have already found buyers. The latest pad to hit the market, 5C, is a three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit that's asking $5.15 million—not chump change, but a whole lot less than Ken Griffin paid for his apartment on Central Park South.

The listing is also the first time that the developer, Alchemy Properties, has offered a look inside the building beyond renderings. Robert A.M. Stern Architects also designed the apartments themselves, and true to form for that firm, they're inspired by the past—in this case, the designs of classic New York pre-war apartments.

The layout could certainly be called gracious, with a lengthy foyer that leads into a spscious living and dining room, with the kitchen—outfitted with custom Smallbone of Devizes cabinetry—off to the side. The bedrooms are located beyond that, with the master suite taking up an entire side of the apartment; it comes with two walk-in closets, an en-suite bathroom with a marble everything, and more. The whole thing totals just under 2,000 square feet.

The project is a ground-up structure that replaced a smaller commercial building on the corner West 81st Street and Broadway (right next door to Zabar's). In addition to those 31 apartments, the building has a plethora of amenities: a roof deck, golf simulator, fitness center, kid's playroom, and even a music room with its own recording studio.