Front Street's $60M facelift nearing end.

The once thriving seaport area that never really fully recovered from its 19th Century decline will again be bustling if Yarrow LLC and the city have their way.

These days in this bitterly cold weather, tourists are hard to find in the South Street Seaport Historic District, but come springtime they will again emerge, as will the latest residential haven in the city by Yarrow LLC, a company comprised of principals from Sciame Development Inc., Zuberry Associates LLC and the Durst Organization.

Although a touristy theme mall is just blocks away, this section of the Seaport is not going to draw tourists, said Richard Berry, managing member of Zuberry Associates.

"We really want it for New Yorkers by New Yorkers. We want it to appeal to people from New York," Berry said. "It's really going to be a very special historic district. It's going to be like the east village and the west village."

Along Front Street and Peck Slip, 13 structures are being renovated and three lots developed to create 95 apartments and 22,000 square feet of retail space. The $60 million plan, known as the Historic Front Street Project, is partially being financed by $47 million in Liberty Bonds issued by the New York State Housing Authority.

Yarrow has also promised that both the new and renovated buildings will reflect the historic character of the area.

"The group of people involved in the project are preservationist minded," said Berry. "We saw the buildings, this was 20 years ago, either this was going to a happen now or the buildings were going to fall down. There aren't that many late 18th century, early 19th century buildings that you can find in the city."

Yarrow LLC bought the land through an RFP from the city in early 2001. Foundation was broken on the site in October of 2003 and is now nearly finished.

"All of the existing buildings have been saved and thoroughly restored with much of the historic fabric and detail exposed in the units," said John Evans, vice president, of Sciame Development. "Three new buildings have been built which all work to complement the rich texture of the historic district in size, materials, and design."

There will be 49 one bedrooms and 46 two bedrooms. Though loft layouts for many units create some uniquely large apartments. The one bedroom units will rent for around $2,400 and the two bedrooms units for around $3,600, Evans said this week.

The ground floor of the buildings will be exclusively boutiquish retail, said Evans.

"We are looking for tenants who will become part of the fabric of the neighborhood, local entrepreneurs--not national chains," Evans said.

"We've had plenty of inquiries by chains," Berry said. "We don't even discuss it."

With the Fulton Fish Market moving to the Bronx this year, the area may indeed be at the beginning of a revival. "The whole area is going to change," Berry said. "We are just the first guys there post the Fulton Fish Market."

In addition to keeping with the history of the neighborhood, Yarrow LLC is using "green," or environmentally friendly, technology to construct and operate the buildings.

Firms involved in the project are architects: Cook + Fox; structural engineers: Robert Silman Associates; mechanical engineers: Laszlo Bodak; constractor: F.J. Sciame Construction and preservation consultant: Mary Dierickx.