Murray Hill's Own Silicon Valley-Style Live/Work Space Opening Soon

MURRAY HILL, NY — Real estate developer Steven Forkosh, son of developer Alex Forkosh, has announced that Society 34, an "incubator/live/work space" at 237 E. 34th St., will open its doors in early 2017.

The space, set in a former lecture hall owned by Yeshiva University, is something of an upscale version of the "hacker hostels" popularized in Silicon Valley.

"We wanted to break the barrier for people who can't afford to live here, and bring them into a luxury lifestyle with this building," Forkosh told Patch.

If someone from "middle America" wants to move to New York City on his or her own, Forkosh said, "rent could be $3,000 for a studio. And to get in, you would have to pay first month, last month, security, plus a credit check — which means your income has to be 4o times the rent."

In contrast, at Society 34, which Forkosh said he hopes is the first of many buildings to be opened under the umbrella brand "Society Living," rent will start in the low $2,000s for a one-bedroom (plus access to a desk in the co-working space). Rent prices will vary based on an apartment's design and its location within the building, Forkosh said.

Applicants will be hand-selected by Forkosh, based on whether or not they fit into the "target demographic."

He defined this demographic in an interview with Patch as "thriving entrepreneurs — the next creators of Uber, the next creators of JetSmart."

When asked if there was an age cut-off — or what would happen if, say, a hip 70-year-old applied — Forkosh replied that "it wouldn't happen."

According to Forkosh, he will attract applicants through his other company, The Blu Market, a "social network influencer marketing firm" co-run with singer Kevin Jonas, the eldest Jonas brother.

If your application to Society 34 is approved, you can apply for a three-month or six-month lease. Even if you don't want to ultimately settle down in New York, Forkosh said, "you might want to come for a few months just for the networking opportunities."

The aim, he said, is to build a society of people who work in similar circles.

Society 34 will have co-working space on its bottom floors. On the upper floors will be 105 living units, ranging from private studios to three-bedrooms. They'll all be "fully furnished and tailor-made for the applicants," Forkosh said.

"There's the saying, 'If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,'" Forkosh told Patch. "But a lot of people in middle America cannot afford that. [Society 34] breaks that barrier."

Images via Society Living