Turquoise Place condos in Orange Beach

Turquoise Place condos in Orange Beach has the first of it's massive twin towers opening in Orange Beach
Sunday, June 29, 2008
By RYAN DEZEMBER
Staff Reporter
ORANGE BEACH -- Three years in the making, the first of the Turquoise Place's twin towers has opened, and buyers of the million-dollar-plus Gulf-front condominium units last week started moving in to what is now Alabama's tallest residential building.
"It's superior quality," said Rita Congemi of Covington, La., who bought a 13th-floor unit with her husband, Dominic. "I think it's probably the most beautiful building out here."
So far, about six condo sales have closed, with most units scheduled to be turned over to buyers next month, said Judy Ramey, broker for Caribe Realty, which sold the condo units.
Five buyers have sued to nullify contracts to buy eight units and recoup their six-figure deposits. They have claimed in court that developer Larry Wireman hasn't delivered all he promised when they agreed to buy into Turquoise Place and each of the cases has been ordered to arbitration.
Those who agreed to buy the tower's other 173 units, however, appear poised to close, Ramey said. In fact, Wireman, who previously developed Caribe Resort, said those who have closed thus far have primarily paid cash.
"I'm pretty happy with it. Over half of the people who come here tell me it's the finest building they've ever been in," Wireman said. "It's hard not to be happy when everyone is impressed with it."
Beyond its imposing scale, Turquoise Place seems to set a new standard for high-end high-rises on Baldwin County's beaches.
"I think what (Turquoise Place) shows is that Orange Beach is a market with very upscale accommodations," said Mayor Pete Blalock. "There's maybe one or two other projects on the scale of Turquoise.... Opal and Caribe ? and Turquoise may be above them."
To say that the condos in Turquoise Place come well appointed is an understatement. Many of the fixtures and appliances dwell in the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" price range.
The slender, boxy toilets, of which some units have six, are part of designer Philippe Starck's Duravit line and run about $425 retail. The vanity basins and faucets Wireman chose by the same designer sell in the $800 range. Each unit has some combination of ultra-modern showers and wengi or teak-trimmed Jacuzzi tubs. Many units include bidets and some penthouse units have tubs that fill from a spout in the ceiling.
The kitchens are outfitted with cavernous stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerators. Many units have multiple dishwashers, and Wolf 36-inch stainless steel gas cooktops that fetch more than $1,700 retail are standard.
Above each fireplace, a 46-inch Sony high-definition television.... figure $1,400-plus retail, is mounted. But the spaces for the other wall-hung televisions in the bathrooms, in the bedrooms are left for owners to fill. Some penthouse units include crescent-shaped projector-ready "media rooms," which some might describe as small movie theaters. And owners have the option of making it so that they can control the lights and climate in their unit from their laptops.
Each unit also comes with a porcelain-tiled balcony equipped with its own hot tub, natural gas grill and bar sink. A balcony attached to a sixth-floor, four-bedroom unit is about 1,100 square feet. One penthouse has an 8,000-square-foot balcony 24 stories up.
Architect Forrest Daniell said the tower was designed so that support columns on the balconies could be arranged to provide the widest views possible from each bedroom. In some cases. the project's structural engineers had to reinforce certain floors to move columns that might otherwise obstruct the views from where beds would likely be situated, Daniell said.
On the 24th floor the Gulf-side views afford a panorama that stretches from Pensacola Beach to The Beach Club resort on the Fort Morgan peninsula. The northern view is equally stunning. While waiting for one of the tower's six high-speed glass-and-tile elevators, the northern tips of Wolf Bay and just about every roof in Orange Beach can be seen.
Unit 2404, which Wireman said sold prior to construction for $4.3 million and is now on the market for $4.5 million, has five bedrooms and 5cm HALF bathrooms. It comes with a separate small unit across the hall that includes a bathroom, small dishwasher and refrigerator ? think a mother-in-law or nanny suite for the Burberry set.
Among the common amenities are an indoor pool equipped with underwater speakers, a lazy river on the fourth floor, a steam room, sauna and a 3,000-square-foot gym that includes some 40 pieces of equipment, from treadmills to free weights. Outside, a Gulf-side swimming pool is under construction, and a lawn ? with grasses derived from a species found growing on African beaches ? that can be watered with saltwater has been laid between the tower and the dunes.
Turquoise Place's palette and subtle motifs are carried throughout the project from designs in the tile floor, curves in the drywall, the un dulations of the balconies, the curve of the dune walkover and the orange and blue arched pattern that is painted on the interior hall walls of several floors, forming a design that is best viewed at night from across Cotton Bayou.
While most units will serve as second homes, some will be rented. The first buyer to close on his unit, for example, has already lined up renters for the July 4 weekend as well as several other summer slots and snowbird season, Ramey said.
Dennis and Nancy Daniels were among the first to get their keys ? cards that emit a door-unlocking radio signal, actually. The Decatur couple, who like the Congemis are repeat customers of Wireman's, said they planned to rent their four-bedroom condo on occasion. Dennis Daniels said they've already had lots of interest from prospective renters who seem to be willing to pay a premium to see what Turquoise Place is all about.
"This is a fantastic building that has all the amenities anyone could want," Daniels said. For info, call 251-978-3718 anytime.