‘Secret’ live-work compound on Tribeca’s skybridge street lists for $30M
Photos courtesy of Yale Wagner/Sotheby’s International Realty
Now available in Tribeca, a private compound on one of Manhattan’s most photographed blocks. Located on the two-block alleyway Staple Street, known for its historic skybridge, a combined property consisting of a two-story brick townhouse at 4 Staple Street and a studio and office across the street at 1 Jay Street has hit the market for $30 million. Owned by filmmaker Neil Burger and architect Diana Kellogg since 2002, the rare property is one of the most unusual private residences in the city, listing agent Jeremy Stein of Sotheby’s International Realty told the Wall Street Journal.
The main home on Staple Street, built in the 1860s, is 40 feet wide and measures roughly 4,100 square feet. The residence embodies its industrial origins, with exposed brick, timber beams, and oversized windows. Across the street, the 2,500-square-foot condominium, purchased by the couple in 2008 for about $840,000, was converted into a shared workspace, according to the Journal.
Burger—whose work includes the films “Divergent,” “Limitless,” and “The Illusionist,” as well as the TV series “Billions”—purchased the Staple Street townhouse with Kellogg in 2002 for $1.7 million.
The couple rediscovered the home a few months after the September 11 attacks, when it went up for sale. At the time, they were living on nearby Thomas Street but had relocated to Connecticut shortly after the tragedy.
Over the years, the couple has made significant renovations to the property. The townhouse once housed a freight elevator, which Kellogg transformed into a cozy “green room” where she and Burger take Zoom calls, she told the newspaper.
Kellogg led a comprehensive renovation that preserved the home’s industrial character while transforming it into a “sophisticated yet bohemian” family residence. The project added a new kitchen, baths, living spaces, and a roof garden.
On the ground floor, a wood-burning fireplace defines the living area, while upstairs, the couple reimagined the layout to create a spacious primary suite overlooking the iconic skybridge. The basement, once a playroom for their children, has since been converted into a den and guest suite.
Kellogg and Burger are parting with the property due to frequent travel—Burger spent much of last year working in London, while Kellogg continues to design projects around the world.
The property joins a short list of high-profile homes to hit the market on this Tribeca street in recent years. In 2022, after nearly a decade on the market, the famed skybridge home at 9 Jay Street sold off-market for $24 million, setting a neighborhood record for the highest townhouse price per square foot.
[Listing details: 4 Staple Street at CityRealty]
[At Sotheby’s International Realty by Jeremy V. Stein and Kat Trappe]
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