credit: Pure House
The existence or Pure House and similar properties in this city is enough to make any sensible New Yorker want to pull his/her hair out. The Times covered this communal living phenomenon a few weeks ago and now Curbed has more:
Communal living is not for everyone, but it’s quite the rage right now, with new cooperative apartment buildings popping up everywhere, it seems. Pure House in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighb’ (where else?) is one such space, promising to curate and bring together like-minded people. It offers a slew of “benefits”— dinner parties, music nights, “sober morning raves,” yoga, massages, meditation and the like are all on offer. Nine fully-furnished and fairly fancy residential apartments, a clubhouse, large communal tables: all this and more comes at a pricey $4,000/month.
credit: Pure House
And more from the Times article “The Millennial Commune“:
Prospective residents answer probing questions like “What are your passions?” and “Tell us your story (Excite us!).” If accepted, tenants live in what the company’s promotional materials describe as a “highly curated community of like-minded individuals.” In other words, they rent a room in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but with opportunities for social and spiritual growth, like dinner parties and meditation sessions.
Pure House is among a handful of businesses that are renting rooms at a premium in exchange for access to amenities, a dormlike atmosphere and an instant community. For a certain set of New Yorkers, often new arrivals to the city with an income but no rental history, Pure House offers something of a reprieve. No credit check. No draconian rules about earning 40 times the monthly rent. No 12-month lease.
Pure House, for example, offers a premium $4,000-a-month package that includes massage, yoga, fresh fruits and vegetables, personal coaching and wellness counseling. The company’s founder, Ryan Fix, 40, sees Pure House as a departure from the standard rental model that binds tenants to a long-term lease with a landlord who does not view the tenant as a consumer who deserves to be wooed. The Pure House website includes images of people gazing at breathtaking vistas with inspirational taglines like “We design experiences that empower our members to thrive.”
Sustain the Stoke, bro!