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  • Esquire to fill Brooklyns Priciest Pad with Sexy Ghost

    Esquire to fill Brooklyns Priciest Pad with Sexy Ghost

    Last week, we heard rumors that Esquire had plans to create its annual Ultimate Bachelor Pad in the $23.5M penthouse of Brooklyn’s famed Clocktower Building. Today, Hearst reps write in to confirm that the manliest of all magazine “showhouses,” of sorts, will indeed take over Brooklyn’s most expensive listing. Some details of the space, which opens in October with an event benefitting the Fresh Air Fund: the 7,000-square-foot triplex—tricked out to the nines by a designer roster that includes Campion Platt—will be inhabited by a ghost named Charlotte:
    “a life-size digital hologram created by Pod Design+Media who will appear at various locations inside the apartment to flirt with guests, provide information on various aspects of the space and otherwise engage a crowd that may think they have seen everything. Charlotte is embodied by actress Margot Robie, who appears in Pan Am on ABC this fall.”

    Hot fake girls: amazeballs! There’s also going to be something called a “Digital Loft” and the “Office of the Future,” which has a “three-dimensional fabric touch screen powered by infrared sensors.” Pardon us: we’re still processing.

    ESQUIRE MAGAZINE’S NINTH ANNUAL ‘ULTIMATE BACHELOR PAD’ TO OPEN NEXT MONTH IN BROOKLYN

    For the First Time Ever, Esquire Takes Its NYC Apartment Out of Manhattan

    Premium Brands, Leading Designers and State-of-the-Art Technology Showcase
    ‘Man at His Best’ at the Exclusive ClockTower Building in DUMBO

    NEW YORK, NY (September 26, 2011) – This fall, Esquire magazine moves to Brooklyn. The highly anticipated ninth annual “Ultimate Bachelor Pad” is a sprawling triplex penthouse in the ClockTower Building in DUMBO, marking the first time the men’s magazine has moved its NYC apartment out of Manhattan. For almost a decade, Esquire’s breakthrough and highly successful experiential lifestyle marketing franchise built on the magazine’s tagline “Man at His Best,” has hosted a series of exclusive celebrity and charity events throughout the fall season. This year’s opening gala, which benefits the Fresh Air Fund, is set to take place on Thursday, October 13th. To date, Esquire has raised more than $8.5 million for a variety of causes since the first Ultimate Bachelor Pad opened in 2003.

    The 2011 Esquire Apartment is located in the heart of one of New York’s burgeoning neighborhoods, nestled on the waterfront between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and boasting some of the best views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. DUMBO, a haven for artists, digital media companies and the creative community, stands for “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.” The ClockTower, originally a factory built in 1914 by a cardboard box manufacturer, was remodeled into luxury condominiums by David Walentas, widely known as the architect of DUMBO, in 1998. The unique 7,000 square-foot penthouse features a 14-foot-high glass clock face on each wall of the main living area, which provides nearly unobstructed views out to the four points of the compass. The breathtaking triplex, with 16- to 50-foot ceilings, includes eight rooms, an interior private glass elevator, a three-story floating staircase, and an outdoor crow’s-nest terrace with 360-degree views.

    “The Esquire Apartment concept was conceived in New York in 2003,” notes Jack Essig, SVP/group publishing director/chief revenue officer, Esquire. “Although we create our house every other year in Los Angeles, this is the first time we’ve taken our New York project to a location outside of Manhattan. We really challenge ourselves every year to find a new prime neighborhood and a building that represents the essence of the magazine. The ClockTower penthouse is truly a one-of-a-kind space that encapsulates the style and innovation that is inherent to the Esquire brand.”

    Guests at the Esquire Apartment will experience numerous technological and lifestyle innovations customized for today’s “ultimate bachelor,” including such innovations as The Ghost, the Lufthansa Digital Loft and the “Home Office of the Future.”

    The only permanent resident of the 2011 Apartment is Charlotte, the elusive ghost. Charlotte is a life-size digital hologram created by Pod Design+Media who will appear at various locations inside the Apartment to flirt with guests, provide information on various aspects of the space and otherwise engage a crowd that may think they have seen everything. Charlotte is embodied by actress Margot Robbie, who appears in Pam Am on ABC this fall.

    The Digital Loft, created by Luxurious Animals and Poltrona Frau Group for Lufthansa, has a 40-foot digital viewing system onto which will be projected customized social-media feeds. The Study, designed by Marc Thorpe and HUSH Studios for Acura, is the “office of the future,” with a one-of-kind desk featuring a three-dimensional fabric touch screen powered by infrared sensors.

    Each room in the Esquire Apartment represents a variety of lifestyle touchpoints for the 21st century man as seen through the eyes of some of the most talented interior designers in the industry, including: Shelley Starr for Hugo Boss [Great Room] and for Don Julio [Tequila Bar], Campion Platt for Ermenegildo Zegna [Master Bedroom], Denise Kuriger for ASICS [Home Gym], Marc Thorpe and HUSH Studios for Acura [Study], Luxurious Animals and Poltrona Frau Group for Lufthansa [Digital Loft], SFA Designs for Conrad Hotels & Resorts [Rooftop Terrace], and Brooks Atwood of POD Design+Media [Esquire Bar].

    Esquire’s Brooklyn property will be unveiled on Thursday, October 13, with an event benefiting the Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency that provides free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Other events taking place this year at the Esquire Apartment will benefit the National Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.3 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals; International Medical Corps, a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs; and City of Hope, an independent biomedical research, treatment and education institution that is a leader in the fight to conquer cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and other life-threatening diseases. All events are by invitation only, and transportation will be provided.

    “It’s nice to be doing good while doing business,” said Stephen Jacoby, associate publisher of marketing, Esquire. “We’re thrilled to be creating such unique and inspirational living spaces each year and giving our partners this platform for reaching key audiences. And it’s thoroughly rewarding to be doing it for charity.”

    To create the Ultimate Bachelor Pad, Esquire has brought together leading marketers, several of whom have participated in prior years, including Absolut, Acura, ASICS, Bloomberg, Bombardier, Don Julio, Hugo Boss, and Lufthansa. New to the project this year are Basil Hayden’s Bourbon, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Ermenegildo Zegna, Kahlua, Nolet’s Finest Gins, Radeberger Pilsner, Toshiba, and TouchTunes Interactive Networks.

    In addition to its live location in DUMBO, the Esquire Apartment will have an online presence on a dedicated Web site, esquireapartment.com, and also appear in the magazine’s January 2012 issue. In addition, the DIY Network will air a one-hour special about the project in early 2012.

    Esquire’s Brooklyn apartment is the ninth “Signature Space” and the fifth property Esquire has created in New York. The Esquire Apartment concept was originally brought to life in 2003 and since then has alternated each fall season between New York and Los Angeles. Previous New York City locations have included the Esquire Apartment at Trump World Tower (2003), Esquire Downtown at Astor Place (2005), Esquire North (2007) and Esquire Soho (2009). Previous locations in Los Angeles have included the Esquire House Los Angeles (2004), the Esquire House 360° (2006), the Esquire House Hollywood Hills (2008), and the Esquire House Beverly Hills (2010).

    About Esquire
    Esquire, published by Hearst Magazines, is the most-honored monthly magazine in America with a total of 15 National Magazine Awards over the past 14 years. Its website and its iPad apps have been similarly honored. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Esquire publishes 20 editions around the world.

    · Esquire’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad 2011 [Curbed National]
    · All Clocktower Penthouse coverage [Curbed NY]

    - Sarah Firshein

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