We may have reached a ceiling of growth and fallen into a sluggish market in some cities, but these supertall and super-expensive developments — many of which have been in the works for years — continue to rise up. Now, though, they vie for attention from discerning buyers by outdoing each other with extravagant extras. Those perks come in the form of indoor golf simulators, custom car elevators, drone landing pads, and 24-hour room service from renowned chefs.
We surveyed the upper tier of residential condominium towers across the US, zeroing in on seven major cities and identifying the most over-the-top buildings currently in development.
Below, take a look through the winners in New York City, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Honolulu. Each of these tower complexes boasts crazy amenities, architectural chops, and a certifiably elite lifestyle.
BOSTON: One Dalton (Four Seasons Private Residences)
The Millennium Tower is currently the tallest residential building in Boston, but it's about to be one-upped by One Dalton, a Four Seasons Private Residence that will be the tallest residential building in all of New England when it's finished in 2018. The prices are steep, as to be expected. But an indoor golf simulator gives this one an extra leg up. (Honorable mention goes to the Pierce Boston, which offers "sky cabanas" that residents can purchase as an extra.)
Architect: Harry Cobb
Number of stories: 61
Unit pricing: $2 million and up
Penthouse price: $35 million
Penthouse price per square foot: Not released
Perks: It's the tallest residential building in New England and has plenty of amenity space within, including a 70-foot lap pool and a dog-grooming room. You can also access Four Seasons services like in-home dining.
Standout amenity: An indoor golf simulator.
Open for residency: 2018
CHICAGO: Vista Tower
Chicago's growth is reflected in the development of the Vista Tower, the city's first major luxury supertall and the third-tallest tower in the city overall. It's another view-centric building, but it also gets all of the amenities of its associated hotel, as well as some quirky extras like wine storage and valet services.
Architect: BLK
Number of stories: 95
Unit pricing: $1 million and up
Penthouse price: $17.1 million
Penthouse price per square foot: $2,443
Perks: Wine storage for residents, a movie theater, and a valet garage. You can choose your apartment's look and feel based on different "jewel" design concepts that match to different aesthetics.
Standout amenity: City views and unique architecture.
Open for residency: 2020
HONOLULU: Waiea Tower
Hawaii isn't known for its high rises, which is part of what makes Waiea at Ward Village such an unusual project. The most expensive residential tower in the island state, it's an LEED-certified building with lots of amenities, including a ground-level park and shopping village.
Architect: James K.M. Cheng Architects and WCIT Architecture
Number of stories: 36
Unit pricing: Starting at $3.9 million
Penthouse price: $36 million
Penthouse price per square foot: $3,600
Perks: Poolside cabanas by the rooftop infinity pool, an indoor golf simulator, library, and theater, a fitness center with yoga room, and a dog park and children's play area. This is Hawaii's most expensive residential tower.
Standout amenity: You can get room service from famous chef Nobu Matsuhisa's sushi and Japanese restaurant, Nobu.
Open for residency: 2018
LOS ANGELES: TEN50
Los Angeles is now coming into its own as an international destination for luxury seekers. Consider the Wilshire Grand Center, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, which topped off earlier this year. For condo buyers, the Four Seasons Residences Los Angeles (with chef room service and a rooftop garden) and Ten Thousand Los Angeles (which has a private park and on-call car service with personal drivers) are safe bets.
But TEN50 — the first new-construction condo in Downtown LA in more than 10 years — takes this round, thanks to its very unusual extra feature: a built-in drone landing pad, ready for Amazon instant deliveries.
Architect: Hanson LA
Number of stories: 25
Unit pricing: Starting at $600,000
Penthouse price: Over $4 million
Penthouse price per square foot: Not released
Perks: An indoor/outdoor lounge with "therapeutic yoga garden" and private dining spaces.
Standout amenity: TEN50 has a built-in Amazon-ready drone landing pad, so immediate drone delivery can be an instant reality.
Open for residency: Late 2016
MIAMI: Porsche Design Tower
Miami is a construction boomtown. Although some fear the market's softening — given limited foreign buying and increased regulation — there are still at least a dozen ultra-luxury properties going up.
Some of the front-runners for wildest offerings include the Zaha Hadid-designed One Thousand Museum, with its private helipad and custom scent design; Fasano Miami Beach, which has the largest pool in South Beach; Jade Signature, which has highly specialized amenities like a toddler center, a teens' "tech lounge," and a co-ed hammam; the Ritz-Carlton Residences Miami Beach, with its fully equipped art studio;
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But the winner of this round of amenity face-off is the Porsche Design Tower. It's hard to beat a car elevator and private "sky garages."
Architect: Porsche
Number of stories: 60
Unit pricing: Not released
Penthouse price: $32.5 million
Penthouse price per square foot: $1,921.37
Perks: The usual — a spa, ballroom, movie theater, and rooftop pool — plus a special game room with race-car simulators. You'll also be in good company, as 22 billionaires have already bought units.
Standout amenity: A car elevator that lets you drive in and be lifted straight to your unit, and "sky garages" so you can keep your cars on display in your condo.
Open for residency: 2016
NEW YORK: 432 Park
New York City has an almost endless number of new luxury condo buildings still cropping up, from classic Art Deco reconstructions to shiny supertalls — all despite the grim predictions of a bursting bubble.
There's the Upper East Side building with a Lenny Kravitz-designed music studio; Citizen360, which has an automated parking garage; 56 Leonard, downtown's giant "jenga" tower with an indoor/outdoor theater; 70 Vestry, a Robert Stern-designed waterfront property with its own squash court; and 1 Great Jones Alley, where residents enter through a gated cobblestone alley dating back to the 1800s.
But the biggest amenity in the city is often simply the view. For that, the supertall 432 Park just can't be beat (except by its fellow supertall, One57, which opened last year). 432 Park also has 30,000 total square feet of amenity space.
Although technically complete and move-in ready, all the amenity spaces are still under construction.
Architect: Rafael Viñoly
Number of stories: 96
Unit pricing: $7 million and up
Penthouse price: $95 million
Penthouse price per square foot: A whopping $11,508
Perks: A private restaurant, outdoor garden, 75-foot indoor swimming pool, and communal billiards room.
Standout amenity: Elevators open directly into each apartment, and make no stops besides the one you want — so you never get stuck going up or down those 96 stories.
Open for residency: 2016
SAN FRANCISCO: The Pacific
San Francisco has a notoriously hot real-estate market right now, but the options skew toward traditional townhouses on picturesque streets. Luxury towers are fewer and farther between, with the notable exception of the Lumina. Completed last year, units sell for about $2,000 a square foot. The building boasts a massive gourmet market on the main floor, as well as a major rooftop terrace.
But for a unique option with standout amenities, buyers can now look to The Pacific. A new development in the exclusive (and very expensive) Pacific Height senclave, it's not a traditional tower complex, but instead a combination of a condo tower and customizable "row houses," which emulate San Francisco's more traditional architecture.
Architect: Handel Architects
Number of stories: Nine in the tower, plus 10 row houses
Unit pricing: Starting at $600,000
Penthouse price: Not released
Penthouse price per square foot: Not released, but expected to set price-per-square-foot records for the San Francisco area.
Perks: Private gardens and terraces, fitness center, fully furnished guest suite for visitors, and personal concierge and valet service.
Standout amenity: The "Observatory Lounge," with Golden Gate Bridge views.
Open for residency: Late 2016
