It was all a mirage.
A venture capitalist and his wife paid $1.68 million for an apartment in the River Terrace Apartments modeled after the exclusive Miraval spa in the Arizona desert, only to find that “New York’s first and only private residential resort” was a sham, a new lawsuit claims.
The East 72nd Street “ultra-premium caliber” condo they bought in 2008 turned out to be “a virtual war zone of construction, malfunctioning elevators, and faulty plumbing,” the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court late 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 the biotechnology investment firm Veziris Ventures, and his wife, Antonia Rigopoulos, 49, with promises of 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 2010, The Post exclusively reported that the building, also home to Yankee center fielder Curtis Granderson, had a falling-out with the Miraval brand and was struggling to find a replacement company to run the spa.
New York-based American Leisure eventually took over the spa, but residents are still griping about the building’s deficiencies, including electrical problems and spotty elevator service.
“If someone was looking for a place to live, I wouldn’t suggest this place,” one male resident complained, declining to give his name. “I have been dissatisfied with most aspects of this place in the last two years.”
Argyrides is suing for $5.5 million. He joins over a dozen other plaintiffs who have slapped the building with lawsuits alleging violations from unpaid employee wages to personal injury claims for reportedly dangerous construction conditions.
A rep for the building did not return calls for comment.