It was all a mirage.
A venture capitalist and his wife purchased a $1.68 million apartment in 2008 in a Manhattan high-rise modeled after the exclusive Miraval spa in the Arizona desert, only to find that “New York’s first and only private residential resort” was allegedly a sham, according to a new lawsuit.
The E. 72nd Street “ultra-premium caliber” condo turned out to be “a virtual war zone of construction, malfunctioning elevators and faulty plumbing,” the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week, alleges. It adds that the property was “devoid of all the services, programs, luxuries and amenities that were represented to justify the ultra-premium price.”
Marketing materials tempted Anthony Argyrides, 58, co-founder of biotechnology investment firm Veziris Ventures, and wife Antonia Rigopoulos, 49, with promises of multiple amenities including ballroom dancing, culinary classes and “famous” yoga classes.
“There were no yoga classes at Miraval Living, ‘famous’ or otherwise,” the disappointed couple sniffs in the court papers.
In April 2008 Argyrides’ front door “spontaneously fell off of its hinges and nearly hit FiOS installation workers,” he says in the filing. Despite crumbling fixtures, faulty pipes and defective floor tiles, the couple still lives at the address, 515 E. 72nd St. near York Avenue.
In 2010, The Post exclusively reported that the building, also home to Yankee center fielder Curtis Granderson and supermodel Linda Evangelista, had a falling out with the Miraval brand and was struggling to find a replacement company to run the spa.
Argyrides is suing for $5.5 million. He joins over a dozen other plaintiffs who have slapped the building with lawsuits alleging everything from unpaid employee wages to personal injury claims for reportedly dangerous construction conditions.
A rep for the building did not immediately return calls for comment.