Close your eyes and picture this scene: Swanky poolside cabanas with flat-screen TVs. Tanned, twenty-something women stretched out on Balinese lounge chairs. A DJ spinning trip hop next to a roaring fire pit. It probably sounds like a setting straight out of coastal Florida or Southern California. And yet come this May, that's exactly the spectacle you'll find at the corner of West Allen Street and Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties, right behind the artisanal retail complex known as
The Piazza at Schmidt's.
Arrow Swim Club is the name of this long-awaited project, which is being overseen by
Tower Investments'
Bart Blatstein, who was almost entirely responsible for the redevelopment of the Northern Liberties neighborhood. In a somewhat unusual twist, Blatstein is partnering on the project with Nicole A. Cashman, CEO of the
Cashman & Associates PR firm, which specializes in representing luxury brands.
Of course, there's a fairly decent chance that the 21-and-over swim club will, in fact, grow to become one of the best-known luxury brands in NoLibs. That's because aside from the poolside food and beverage service, the private spa, the swinging hammocks, the uber-chic cabana boys, and the upper-level sundeck, this inner-city oasis will be coming with one more surprise: $1,000 annual memberships.
This week, according to Jacklin Rhoads of Cashman & Associates, "One-thousand hand-selected, prospective members will receive invitations to a sneak-peek party, and an invitation to join the swim club." Memberships will be available to the public on March 7, but as Rhoads explains, "Everyone will have to fill out an application, pending management approval, with a background and credit check."
Chris Sheffield of the nearby
SL Design firm is designing the project, which will feature a 1,380-square-foot pool. An open-to-the-public restaurant will reside next door to the swim club, and the first season runs through Sept. 30.
Source: Jacklin Rhoads, Cashman & Associates
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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