The Ultimate List of NYC Apartments Buildings with Extraordinary Active Amenities

By CityRealty Staff | From Midtown Monday, March 8, 2021

In the new age of amenities, fitness centers and swimming pools have become almost an essential part of new luxury residential buildings. However, certain developments have gone above and beyond a simple treadmill and a few free weights: These rentals, co-ops, and condos offer such eye-popping features as Pilates studios, sports courts and simulators, game rooms, and rock climbing walls.

After many buildings’ amenities spent months closed as part of the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic, some wondered if there was a place for amenity-rich buildings in a post-pandemic New York. URBN Playground, though, has no such compunctions. In addition to seamlessly transitioning their signature URBN BURN fitness program to virtual fitness classes, they expanded their virtual offerings to include a Careers & Cocktails professional development session, food and cocktail sessions from a chef and sommelier, comedy events, and talks from stylists, organization experts, and tarot card readers.

The move to virtual events might have appeared to represent a departure from URBN Playground’s usual services, but happens to be highly consistent with their mission to create memorable experiences and cultivate a sense of community in their buildings. The firm was founded by hospitality veteran Jeremy Brutus and fitness professional Amy Blitz, and they drew on their experiences to bring carefully curated amenities and programming, professional staff, and life-enhancing technology to residential buildings.

Indoor fitness studios and indoor amenities have gotten the green light to reopen with new safety protocols, but that doesn’t necessarily signal a return to the way things used to be. In a blog entry earlier this year, URBN Playground predicted that the future of residential amenities holds larger gyms, apps allowing residents to book amenities in advance for the sake of social distancing, and outdoor space being revamped to include sports courts. These buildings, however, were ahead of the curve and offered sports courts and other active amenities (think sports simulators) well before the coronavirus was even discovered.