The Good Saint

Laura McClure

For those seeking the luxe life here, the height of elegance is slated to rise—to 40 stories. Long a symbol of East Coast chic, St. Regis Residences is moving in across the street from Yerba Buena Gardens. And for multimillionaires seeking their third or fourth home, why not opt for one at the top of a luxury hotel? Starting at $1.4 million for a 1,500-square-foot apartment, St. Regis's 102 condos have been designed down to the last light fixture. Take the powder room, for example. It's a showpiece, and God (or at least designer Paul Wiseman) is in the details. "We spent months designing the sink," says marketing consultant Alan Mark. "Choosing the stone, how the water would flow." Flourishes like these, plus Poggenpohl kitchens and Kohler bathtubs, are standard. But the crowning jewels atop this superluxe aerie are the 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot duplex penthouses with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and outdoor terraces—a rare option at the top of the city. With such appointments estimated to go for a cool $5 mil, one wonders what names the residences have attracted since sales began last fall. Whoever they are, it's doubtful they're worried about any impending rise in mortgage rates.