Celebrities

The 27-foot-wide, seven-story townhouse at 39 East 72nd Street is iconic even without the celebrity claim; a sandstone-clad facade and copper cornice cast an ethereal glow, yet blend with the stately homes on the Upper East Side block. Mansion Global reports that also-iconic socialite and businesswoman Gloria Vanderbilt lived in the home in her "Poor Little Rich Girl" childhood. The options for this pristine property are many. It's currently set up as three separate condos, but a combo would make a Vanderbilt-worthy manse.
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Bruce Willis’ 22-acre Westchester estate gets a price chop, now asking $9.4M

Photo of Bruce Willis via Gage Skidmore on Flickr; listing photo: Robert Lowell courtesy of Douglas Elliman

August 1, 2019

Bruce Willis’ 22-acre Westchester estate gets a price chop, now asking $9.4M

Bruce Willis put his massive 22-acre Westchester estate on the market back in January for $12.95 million, with plans to head back to the West Coast. The "Die Hard" actor's Bedford Corners property just got a hefty discount, now asking $9.39 million, the New York Post reports. In 2014, Willis and wife Emma Heming paid $12 million for the estate, which includes a shingle-style home, antique house, and two renovated guest cottages. As 6sqft reported last January, Willis sold his co-op at 271 Central Park West for $17.75 million after buying it for around the same price in 2015.
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Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South

Photo of 220 CPS via CityRealty; photo of Sting via Wiki Commons

August 1, 2019

Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South

By Dana Schulz

It's been three years since rumors surfaced that Sting and wife Trudie Styler were in negotiations to buy an apartment in ultra-exclusive 220 Central Park South. Since then, they sold their nearby 15 Central Park West penthouse for $50 million and reportedly rented a swanky pad at Zaha Hadid's High Line condo. But now The Real Deal has confirmed those early whispers and reports that the couple has purchased a $66 million penthouse at the Central Park South building, which has become a magnet for high-wealth house hunters after hedge funder Ken Griffin dropped $238 million on a residence there, becoming the most expensive home in the country.
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July 26, 2019

Asking $6.9M, Renee Fleming’s terrace-wrapped UWS penthouse is fit for a diva

Grammy-winning opera star Renee Fleming has put her sprawling four-bedroom Upper West Side penthouse on the market; the 3,000-square-foot co-op at 200 West 86th Street, asking $6.895 million, is a diva-worthy pad, the result of combining two large units. In addition to the penthouse perk of river and city views, the apartment is a veritable sky garden, wrapped on three sides by landscaped terraces.
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A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

Google Street View of Stan Lee’s childhood home at 1720 University Avenue in the Bronx

July 26, 2019

A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

Stan Lee—the comic book writer and Marvel publisher who brought us Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four among other classics—will soon be commemorated with a street naming in the Bronx. According to the New York Post, City Council voted this week to co-name University Avenue between Brandt Place and West 176th Street as “Stan Lee Way." The proposal was brought by City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who represents the area, and will become official as soon as the mayor signs it.
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Celebrities

Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

Image of Maya Angelou via Wiki Commons; listing images courtesy of Warburg Realty

July 25, 2019

Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

In 2001, one year before Maya Angelou purchased her personal residence—an elegant brownstone in the Mount Morris Park Historic District—the late author and activist bought an investment property about 10 blocks away at 29 East 129th Street for only $275,000. During the years in which she resided in New York, she served as landlord of the three-family East Harlem property, comprised of a garden level duplex and two full-floor one-bedroom apartments. Angelou’s estate maintained the property following her death in 2014 and sold the residence to the current owner in 2016 for $1.98 million. The townhouse was most recently listed for $2.65 million in February 2018. A few price chops later, it finally found a new owner and closed for $2.3 million, as the New York Post reported.
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Billionaire developer Stephen Ross lists Time Warner Center penthouse for $75M

Listing images by Evan Joseph and Nina Poon; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 17, 2019

Billionaire developer Stephen Ross lists Time Warner Center penthouse for $75M

As Related CEO and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross prepares to move into the penthouse at one of his most recent developments, 35 Hudson Yards, he’s first unloading one of his older properties at another one of the company’s Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed building, the Time Warner Center. (The Real Deal's roundup of his properties shows Ross's penchant for “getting high off his own supply.”) First reported by the Wall Street Journal, Ross has listed the 80th-floor condo he shares with his wife, jewelry designer Kara Ross, for a staggering $75 million—one of the most expensive properties on the market in New York City.
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July 12, 2019

‘Real Housewives’ star Ramona Singer sells longtime Upper East Side home for $4M

Real Housewives of New York City star Ramona Singer has officially parted ways with her beloved Upper East Side apartment of 20 years. The empty-nester decided to list the four-bedroom Yorkville abode last year and downsize to a smaller space now that her 24-year-old daughter, Avery Singer, is no longer living at home. She initially listed the unit for $4.995 million and, as The Real Deal reports, just closed for a little over $4 million. Singer has already found a new home about 20 blocks south, where she’s been settling in with her old furniture. “It’s good when you move that you have your same furniture, ’cause it makes you feel familiar and not so strange,” she recently told Bravo.
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A-Rod steps up his NYC real estate game with a new partnership to buy multiple apartment buildings

East Village photo via Flickr cc; A-Rod photo via Wiki Commons

June 26, 2019

A-Rod steps up his NYC real estate game with a new partnership to buy multiple apartment buildings

Just a few weeks ago, 6sqft reported that Yankee legend Alex Rodriguez had added his first New York City property to a growing real estate empire with the purchase of a 21-unit rental building in the East Village with fellow Shark Tank investor and real estate veteran Barabara Corcoran. The new partnership announced a plan to develop a portfolio of multifamily NYC buildings in undervalued neighborhoods. Now, the New York Post reports, the retired third baseman's A-Rod Corp. has teamed up with real estate investor Ofer Yardeni of Stonehenge NYC and seasoned broker Adam Modlin of the Modlin Group to buy multiple apartment buildings and bulk condo units throughout the city.
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Celebrities

Notorious B.I.G.’s childhood home in Clinton Hill is renting for $4K a month

By Devin Gannon

Late rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s former home in Clinton Hill hit the market this week as a $4,000 per month rental, the New York Post reported. In the song "Juicy," the artist, whose real name is Christopher Wallace, refers to the apartment at 226 St. James Place as a "one-room shack." The listing describes the renovated unit as a three-bedroom home with additional office space in "the desired neighborhood of the Clinton Hill historic district."
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Federal government lists Paul Manafort’s seized Trump Tower condo for $3.6M

Via Flickr

June 20, 2019

Federal government lists Paul Manafort’s seized Trump Tower condo for $3.6M

By Devin Gannon

Another Manhattan property forfeited by Paul Manafort has hit the market. The federal government is selling the Trump Tower condo once owned by the former Donald Trump campaign manager for $3.6 million, the New York Post reported. Earlier this month, the feds put Manafort's Soho apartment at 29 Howard Street on the market for $3.663 million.
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Celebrities

Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod find a buyer for their short-lived 432 Park pad

432 via DBOX; Alex Rodriguez via Wiki Commons; Jennifer Lopez via Wiki Commons

June 19, 2019

Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod find a buyer for their short-lived 432 Park pad

Newly engaged couple Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have found a buyer for their sky-high Midtown apartment, the New York Post reported Tuesday. The duo listed their pad at 432 Park Avenue--the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere--for $17.5 million in January, less than a year after they bought the three-bedroom apartment. It remains unclear who the buyer is and how much they ultimately paid.
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June 13, 2019

Chelsea condo once owned by NSYNC member Lance Bass is asking $2.5M

A two-bedroom condo in Chelsea once owned by boy band star Lance Bass hit the market this week for $2.5 million, as first reported by the New York Post. Located in celebrity-magnet Chelsea Mercantile, the renovated condo loft at 252 Seventh Avenue measures just over 1,300 square feet. The NSYNC member bought the apartment for $1.49 million in 2010; current owner Ellen Kroner picked it up in 2013 for $2.13 million.
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The Clinton Hill block where Notorious B.I.G. grew up has officially been named after the famous rapper

Images via New York City Council on Flickr

June 11, 2019

The Clinton Hill block where Notorious B.I.G. grew up has officially been named after the famous rapper

Despite the rainy weather, hundreds of people gathered at St. James Place in Clinton Hill on Monday to honor the legacy of Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls. As amNY first reported, the block between Fulton Street and Gates Avenue—where the famous rapper grew up—will now also be known as "Christopher 'Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace Way." Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, was present at the event and she remembered the last time she saw a huge crowd on the street, the day Biggie was murdered 22 years ago. “It was a sad day,” Wallace said, “and when I saw the crowds, tears came to my eyes and I said to my friend, ‘My son was well-loved.’” This time around, seeing everyone gathered there for the unveiling brought "happy tears" to her eyes.
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Celebrities

Jeff Bezos scoops up three Flatiron apartments for a record-setting $80M

Rendering of 212 Fifth Avenue by Visualhouse; Photo of Jeff Bezos via Wiki Commons

June 4, 2019

Jeff Bezos scoops up three Flatiron apartments for a record-setting $80M

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is closing on three apartments at 212 Fifth Avenue, next to Madison Square Park. Bezos is scooping up a penthouse and two units that are right under it for approximately $80 million, though the precise numbers haven’t been made public yet. Combined, the apartments add up to over 17,000 square feet. The deal is reportedly the largest to ever close in New York south of 42nd Street, and the second largest deal of the year, second to Ken Griffin’s now-infamous $240 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South.
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A-Rod will soon be a New York City landlord

East Village photo via Flickr cc; A-Rod photo via Wiki Commons

June 3, 2019

A-Rod will soon be a New York City landlord

Best known for his impressive 22-year baseball career (and more recently, his relationship with J-Lo), Yankee legend Alex Rodriguez is making moves to solidify his status as a major real estate player. The New York Post reported that Rodriguez just picked up a 21-unit rental building in the East Village, his first big purchase in New York City though he's been quite active in Miami. Rodriguez partnered with fellow Shark Tank investor and real estate veteran Barabara Corcoran on the deal, and the duo isn't playing around. They plan to quickly develop a portfolio of multifamily buildings throughout the city, with a focus on "undervalued neighborhoods, undermanaged buildings [and] misused land,” per a statement.
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Celebrities

Iconic ‘Sopranos’ house in NJ hits the market for $3.4M

Photo courtesy of Victor Recchia

June 3, 2019

Iconic ‘Sopranos’ house in NJ hits the market for $3.4M

By Devin Gannon

The New Jersey home of fictional mob boss Tony Soprano and his family has hit the market for $3.4 million, the New York Times first reported last week. The 5,600-square-foot North Caldwell mansion served as the backdrop for many scenes of HBO's "The Sopranos," a drama starring James Gandolfini that first aired in 1999. Fans of the series frequently visit and take photos the iconic property, especially the long driveway where Tony, clad in a white robe, picked up the morning paper.
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Parker Posey picks up a cozy Chelsea co-op for $1.5M

Listing photo courtesy of Douglas Elliman; Photo of Parker Posey via Wiki Commons

May 31, 2019

Parker Posey picks up a cozy Chelsea co-op for $1.5M

Parker Posey certainly has good taste in real estate. She first landed on our apartment-porn radar for her chic East Village apartment, which she bought back in 2008. (The home is now owned by actor Alexander Skarsgärd.) She then dropped $1.35 million on a slightly more classic co-op in Greenwich Village. After personally modeling in the listing photos, she unloaded this apartment in 2016. We're not sure where she's been for the past three years, but as of this week, she is a proud new Chelsea resident. According to the Post, Posey dropped $1.5 million on this super-cute and character-filled duplex at 365 West 19th Street. Not only does it have charming details like a wood-burning brick fireplace and huge half-moon window, but there's a private roof deck.
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May 24, 2019

Diane Keaton’s former San Remo apartment returns for a discounted $14.5M

Diane Keaton's very first NYC apartment was this full-floor co-op in one of the San Remo's iconic towers. She bought the Upper West Side pad in the late '70s after gaining fame in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall." At the time, Mary Tyler Moore was living in the other tower, and rumor has it that Warren Beatty found this quite convenient since he was dating both actresses at the same time. In more recent years, the apartment was home to the late Gordon McLeod, the former head of digital publications at Dow Jones. He sold the home to investment banker Larry Slaughter and his wife Constance in 2012 for $13.5 million. They first listed the residence in March 2018 for $17.5 million, but have now re-listed it for a discounted $14.5 million.
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May 21, 2019

This $7M Tribeca loft was a famous recording studio in a former life

This massive six-bedroom loft in the American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway spans 3,800 square feet with 45 feet of frontage facing Tribeca Park; the converted and designer-renovated condominium's $7 million price reflects not only its massive size, rare arched windows and covetable loft bones, but likely also its culturally significant famous past: Built in 1894, the space was once home to Duplex Sound, the studio where world-renowned musicians including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire and jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond once recorded tracks.
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Sarah Jessica Parker lends star power to the fight against New York City public library funding cuts

Image via publicdomainpictures.net

May 20, 2019

Sarah Jessica Parker lends star power to the fight against New York City public library funding cuts

A majority of New Yorkers–95 percent–said in an online survey that Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s proposed $11 million funding cut to public libraries would hurt the city's communities, according to the Daily News; scaled-back hours and reduced programs like free after-school options for teens would curtail staffing and hiring across all five boroughs. Now, actress Sarah Jessica Parker is adding her celebrity firepower to help rescue the city’s libraries with an online campaign, the New York Post reports.
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Interview: Design star Genevieve Gorder on ‘Trading Spaces,’ her new show, and life in NYC

Genevieve Gorder on the set of “Best Room Wins” with Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief Whitney Robinson. Photo by Nicole Weingart/Bravo.

May 8, 2019

Interview: Design star Genevieve Gorder on ‘Trading Spaces,’ her new show, and life in NYC

By Dana Schulz

From getting her first design job at MTV during the station's height in the '90s to being selected as one of the original designers on TLC's "Trading Spaces," Genevieve Gorder says she feels eternally grateful for her timing. "I hit a lot of those key moments at the right time for when I was born, and I don’t know how I keep doing it, but I’m very grateful I do." When Genevieve says she's "grateful," we know it's authentic. This is why the interior designer has achieved the success she has, appearing in more than 20 TV shows over her 20-year career. She's a person everyone feels comfortable around, whether it's with a family who shares her Midwestern roots or a New York City neighbor. Her latest endeavor, the design show "Best Room Wins," aired last week, and once again, it's Genevieve's warmth, grace, and exceptional talent that are on full view. 6sqft recently caught up with Genevieve to learn more about her background and time on "Trading Spaces," why she feels the new show is "smarter, sexier, and more real," and what her favorite spots in the city are.
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Christie Brinkley finally sells her $18M Sag Harbor vacation home

Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman; photo of Christie Brinkley via Wiki Commons

May 8, 2019

Christie Brinkley finally sells her $18M Sag Harbor vacation home

Christie Brinkley’s idyllic Sag Harbor home officially has a new owner. The sale closed this week for just under the final asking price of $17,990,000, though the precise amount has yet to be confirmed. The supermodel bought the five-bedroom residence in 2004 for $7,150,000 and first listed it back in 2010. As 6sqft previously reported, the 5,500-square-foot property sought its highest asking price in 2016—a cool $25,000,000 with Enzo Morabito of Douglas Elliman. The price tag was lowered incrementally until it hit $17,999,000 last summer, as Brinkley continued to search for the right buyer.
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Staten Island intersection is renamed to honor legacy of the Wu-Tang Clan

Photo by Jeff Reed, courtesy of NYC Council/Flickr

May 6, 2019

Staten Island intersection is renamed to honor legacy of the Wu-Tang Clan