New Cooper spaces offer download-decor.

In Cooper Square, look for an antique-geek chic. For that's what's being peddled in the new loft condominiums at the Carl Fischer Building.

"It's a prewar building with the best of the old and the best of the new," said Judith Halevi, of C-Square Associates, LLC, developers of the project.

With high ceilings and large windows, the new residences at 56-62 Cooper Square have many of the features that attract homebuyers to older buildings. But with Samsung America's plans to lease one of the available retail spaces in the building for a Web2Zone net cafe, residents will also have access to "ultra" broadband wiring.

Web2Zone net cafe customers have the ability to access the Internet at extremely high speeds for the purpose of music downloading, video-on-demand viewing and other uses. Corporate clients may visit the cafe for uses such as videoconferencing, remote networking, and online digital printing.

The cafes use the latest network architecture and technology to connect to the Internet at speeds of 4 giga bytes per second, the equivalent of 260 T-1 connections or 540 times the speed of a traditional 56K modem used in most homes. When Fiber City Networks installs the "dark fiber cable" needed for the Web2Zone net cafe, residents will also be able to tap into the wiring. Project manager Gary Warfel, of C-Square Associates, said the Carl Fischer Building will the only one of the country to offer residents this technology.

"Other residential buildings who claim to offer high-speed Internet access are simply offering T-1 data lines or DSL or cable modems that can provide faster access than conventional telephone lines. In contrast, the Carl Fischer Building will have the ability to offer access to data at speeds that are now only available to website development firms, high-tech businesses, and communication companies," Warfel said.

Cooper Square was recently designated an historic district by the Landmarks Preservation Commission which approved the renovations to the building's exterior. For instance, the windows were replaced with ones that resembled the originals.

C-Square Associates recently began marketing the loft condominiums, which range in size from 1,450 to 7,000 square feet, at the 12-story Carl Fischer Building and an adjoining 4-story building at 52-54 Cooper Square. Developers are using part of the fifth floor as a showroom to demonstrate the lofts to potential buyers and have signed contracts or are close to signing contracts for eight of the 26 planned lofts.

C-Square Associates expects to begin closing on sales of the units in May with occupancy expected in September or October. The lofts range in price from $5,750,000 for a 6,750-square-foot unit on the 11th floor to $805,000 for a 1,600-square-foot unit on the fourth floor.

Among building amenities are a 24-hour concierge and doorman, restored lobbies with terrazzo stone and marble interiors, electronic "smart" recycling and trash collection, and a common roof area with panoramic views.

One feature that makes this building different is the views. Residents can see the Empire State Building to the north, Cooper Union and the St. George Ukranian Catholic Church to the east, the World Trade Center and the Woolworth Building to the south and the Joseph Papp Public Theater and Greenwich Village to the west.

"We feel this is going to be the prime building in the area," said Michael Chapman, vice president of Stribling Marketing Associates, the exclusive sales and marketing agent for the building.

The units will be sold "architect ready," meaning owners will be responsible for having them finished. Plumbing and other aspects of the building are being installed in locations that will allow owners to finish units in a variety of layouts. Bathrooms will be installed in the lofts so that temporary certificates of occupancy can be issued.

"This enables owners to get financing," Halevi said.