Above it All: Chic Downtown Living

The open plan living area begins with a well-appointed kitchen.

Above it All

An urban sensibility in a suburban town? The best of both worlds and it’s right in downtown Rye. At LOCUST, the upscale luxury complex rising up on Locust Avenue in downtown Rye, you have views and privacy, green space, which is someone else’s job to keep in resplendent order, and the Y across the street. The Village Green is a block away.

You’ll never be late for a dinner date again, with more than a dozen restaurants in a two-block radius. Forgot to pick up a birthday card or gift? No problem with Dabney Lee around the corner and Arcade Books up the street; not to mention women’s clothing boutiques, jewelers, home design shops, a wine shop, a florist on or just off Purchase Street. If you want to throw your dog a bone, All Paws owner Claudia Baker would probably meet you halfway on Locust.

Say goodbye to the seven-year wait for a commuter parking pass, because you can dash to the train station in eight minutes flat, six if you work out regularly.

Each of the eight residences, make that seven as one just sold in advance of late– winter occupancy, have the feel of a SoHo loft. They come with high-end finishes, a balcony off the master bedroom and a terrace (some covered) off the living room, gourmet kitchen equipment, a gas fireplace, heated bathroom floors, walk in closets, nine-foot ceilings, and, most of all, light. There are windows everywhere — even in the two-car garages — and there’s so much to see in town.

April Saxe of Houlihan Lawrence, the listing agent for the complex developed by Paul Varsames, took us up to see a 3-bedroom, 3.5–bath unit with a study. We walked through a glass–enclosed entry and up a floating wire staircase (each home also has its own elevator, too). Unlike most apartments, LOCUST has spacious and welcoming foyers as well as style, courtesy of Monique Varsames Design.