Metro Showhouse to Benefit Alzheimer’s Association

March 4, 2015  by in Designer Weekly   

The house will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater N.J. chapter. Celebrated interior designer Robert Passal will serve as Showhouse Chair with ASPIRE Metro magazine as media sponsor.

The Pearl was designed in 1953 by one of the largest architectural firms in the world, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, whose buildings include One World Trade Center in New York, the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest in the world. Originally designed as Unilever’s research and development world headquarters, the landmark construction was converted into luxury loft residences by Lessard Design Associates and Manhattan-based designer, Alan Tanksley. Every interior, appointed with state-of-the-art sustainable systems, commands Manhattan views across the Hudson River through floor-to-12-foot-ceiling windows.

Unlike most showhouses, where a designer decorates a single room or space, each 2015 Metro Designer Showhouse designer will spend the next eight weeks transforming a whole loft into the ultimate urban residence, comprising seven living rooms, seven dining rooms, and 16 bedrooms. Participating designers include: Fulya Can, Sam Ciardi, Andrea Daly, Joe Ginsberg, Anna Maria Mannarino, Amy Manor, Alan Tanksley and Catherine Weinstock.

“We were looking to participate in a showhouse committed to both magnificent interior design and masterful architecture, since that is our publication’s passion,” said Amy Sneider, editor in chief of ASPIRE Metro magazine. “Moreover, we want to laud superlative talent and smart living throughout the NYC Metropolitan area. When we discovered The Pearl — capturing the Manhattan skyline, its iconic past and re-imagination for the future — we knew we wanted to partner with its developer, National Resources, to launch a luxury Showhouse like no other. It’s an incredible opportunity to inspire and excite design enthusiasts, while supporting the Alzheimer's Association, such a vital, worthy cause.”

"We are so pleased to have been selected as the charitable beneficiary of the inaugural 2015 Metro Designer Showhouse,” said Ken Zaentz, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter. “We are very excited to be associated with such a creative and unique event. Community support is vital to our mission. The Showhouse provides us with a wonderful opportunity to expand our research, care and support programs for New Jersey individuals and families that are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease as a growing public health crises.”

The 2015 Metro Designer Showhouse opens with an exclusive Gala Preview and Alzheimer's Association fundraiser presented by ASPIRE Metro magazine and National Resources Thursday, April 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Pearl, 45 River Road, Edgewater, N.J. Gala Preview tickets are priced at $100 per person in advance, and $150 at the door; ticket sale proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association Greater N.J. Chapter. Celebrity Chef Danielle Saunders, who has cooked for Sean Combs, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, is the first African American female winner of both “Chopped” and “Chopped Champions” on the Food Network, and star of Huffington Post “Soul Fusion” series, will create and oversee Gala menus. Complimentary ferry and New Jersey  ground transportation will be available for guests traveling from New York City. 

Additional information is available online.