Battle royale

The Residences at Battery Wharf have not yet been built.

But even though the formal sales campaign does not begin until next week, 14 of the 104 luxury condos on the former Bay State Lobster site in the North End are already sold.

What's more, the waterfront homes will be among the most expensive per square foot in the city, rivaling the Residences at Mandarin Oriental, the Boylston Street condo and hotel complex that is expected to be completed in 2007, the same year as the Battery Wharf project.

Battery Wharf developer Harold Theran confirmed this week that the condos -- complete with Regent hotel services and a boat dock -- will range from 900 to 2,500 square feet and cost $975,000 to $5.2 million, for an average price per square foot of $1,150, record territory for Boston real estate.

The details of the Battery Wharf project signal an escalation in the luxury condo marketing wars, and realtors and buyers aren't blinking, as empty-nesters continue to flee the suburbs for a pampered life in the city, in complexes offering everything from room service to valet parking.

''There still seems to be a large desire, considering that Atelier/505 sold out before the walls were even finished," said Beth Dickerson, owner of Dickerson Real Estate LLC, referring to the South End condos that sold for $600,000 to $3.3 million. ''I feel that the current market is alive and strong."

Meanwhile, the Residences at the Mandarin Oriental, conceived by former Four Seasons Hotel general manager Robin Brown, is expected to break ground near Lord & Taylor this year, offering 50 condos with prices starting at $2 million. Sizes range from 2,000 to 6,000 square feet. Price per square foot: Between $1,100 and $1,600.

Brown has pledged to pamper his purchasers in unheard of ways, and exceed the maximum five-star rating for the hotel component of the project.

At Battery Wharf, Theran is conceding nothing in the luxury competition, as he and Francois-Laurent Nivaud, ex-managing director of the Boston Harbor Hotel and project consultant, prepare for an early 2005 groundbreaking.

Brown and Nivaud are once and future rivals for some of the best places to reside in Boston. But they don't like comparisons. Brown would not even comment for this article.

''He was at the Four Seasons; I was at the Boston Harbor," Nivaud said, in his French accent. ''Really what counts is the people who are going to deliver the services, the lifestyle we have created."

For the price -- and don't forget condo fees of $10 to $12 per square foot -- you'll get separate entrances and elevators for hotel guests and residences, marble bathrooms with enclosed toilet spaces, in many cases private terraces and balconies, and roof gardens exclusive to penthouses at both Battery Wharf and Mandarin Oriental.

Both will have valet parking and other hotel services for residents, internationally renowned spas, and views -- of the Charles River or the harbor -- that push prices sky high.

Mandarin Oriental has 11-foot ceilings. Battery Wharf boasts a 300-foot boat dock, water taxi stop, and perimeter Harborwalk.

The Residences at Battery Wharf will equal the Mandarin Oriental in condo finishes, services, and in exclusivity, Theran said. But can you beat a location right on Boston Harbor within walking distance of the Financial District and the North End?

''Eighty percent of our rooms are either directly on the water or have water views," said Theran.

Dickerson said she doubts that anything can quite match what Brown has in mind for the Mandarin Oriental residences. ''I've gone to the see the finishes, and they're spectacular -- over the top," she said. ''Boston's never seen anything like it. Your jaw drops open."

Dickerson has also seen what Theran has in mind for Battery Wharf, and it's hard to complain about. ''It's a nice finish," she said. ''I think they've got a bit of a modern edge, which Boston seems to be more open to than they were a few years ago."

These two projects, having been marketed only in ''quiet" campaigns for months, are a few steps behind developer Brian Fallon's Residences at the InterContinental, 130 condos already being constructed around a large Big Dig ventilation structure at 500 Atlantic Ave.

The InterContinental Hotels & Resorts chain, well known around the world, is making a push into North America. Residences there -- opening in the spring of 2006 -- will have Boston Harbor views on one side, downtown's skyline on the other and full access to hotel services. Prices for a two-bedroom unit there: about $1.6 million.

''Being on a site with a hotel is indicative of the demographic profile," said Alan R. Rice, senior vice president of Hammond GMAC Real Estate.

''It's 50-, 55-, 60-year-old folks who want to be in a place where they have access to other services affiliated with a luxury hotel, whether it's dining or entertaining. That's a really smart move and meeting a definite need," he said.

Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at tpalmer@globe.com.