Taking a cue from Madison Avenue and condo developers, some existing co-ops and condos formerly known as mere street addresses are in the market for upscale names like Hardenbrook House and The Sterling, according to the November issue of Habitat Magazine. Slightly less contentious than remodeling the lobby and cheaper than a roof deck, the right name may not only improve marketability, it can also “give even a tenement an individual personality and make its dwellers feel less like cogs in numbered boxes,” says the article (not yet online).
Residents at un-tenement The Sterling, a 116-unit Sutton Place co-op formerly known as 209 East 56th Street, proposed The Chateau, The Prestige, The Sutton Grand and Honolulu before settling on its moniker. As for what to do with a name once you’ve got it? Plaster it everywhere, says Habitat. Staff uniforms, awnings—and notify popular real estate search sites like StreetEasy, which didn't pull up The Sterling when we typed in its new name. (Habitat Magazine)