Celebrities

October 31, 2016

Maya Angelou’s second Harlem townhouse sells for $2M

Over the summer, 6sqft shared the sale of the late Maya Angelou's historic Harlem brownstone. After listing last February for $5.1 million, the beautifully preserved home in the Mount Morris Park Historic District finally sold for $4 million in July. But as it turns 0ut, this wasn't the only property she owned that hit the market at the beginning of the year. The Post reports that the author and activist also owned a property for which she was the landlord, just about ten blocks away at 29 East 129th Street, and after hitting the market for $2.6 million and going through two price chops, it's now found a buyer for $1.98 million.
More this way
October 31, 2016

This $7.5M West Village townhouse was once home to Derek Jeter and A-Rod

According to the listing for this otherwise nondescript brick townhouse on a pretty West Village street, both Derek Jeter and fellow former Yankee Alex Rodriguez were one-time residents. Jeter was renting the 2,800 square-foot home until last spring, and Curbed tells us that while Courtney Love took a look but didn't bite, the four-story home at 56 Bank Street has been on the market for quite some time, most recently asking $7.495 million.
Take a look inside
October 30, 2016

Join the Society of Magicians on Halloween for a séance at Harry Houdini’s former Upper East Side home

Last week, a commemorative plaque was installed on the facade of the former Upper East Side home of Harry Houdini at 244 East 79th Street, marking the 90th anniversary of his death and celebrating National Magic Week. To coincide with this, the Society of American Magicians will meet tomorrow for a séance at the building's Sojourn restaurant in hopes of contacting the great illusionist. As the Wall Street Journal notes, when he and his family moved into the top-floor studio of the boardinghouse in 1887, a young Houdini practiced his tricks and escapes in the space that now holds the eatery.
The rest of the story here
October 28, 2016

Elton John’s former Soho loft, complete with hidden cat tunnel, gets a price chop to $16M

When this enormous Soho loft at 50 Wooster Street hit the market for $23.3 million last December, 6sqft ogled its sleek renovation, complete with a motorized headboard, twin beds that slide together to form a king, copper tub, color-changing walls, and a secret cat tunnel that goes from the kitchen to the litter box in the pantry. But this wasn't enough to entice a buyer, as it's now gotten a pretty major price chop down to $15.95 million. If saving $7 million doesn't do the trick, though, LL NYC has uncovered that the 4,800-square-foot pad once belonged to none other than Sir Elton John. He sold the loft in 2010 for $7.45 million to its current owner, art consultant Sara Tecchia, who enlisted Jeff Goldberger at Urban Edition Architecture to complete the uber-contemporary and tech-forward renovation.
Check out the whole place
October 27, 2016

Julianne Moore’s onetime West Village loft asks $4.3M

Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore bought a duplex loft at 345 West 13th Street in 1999 for just $911,500. After she and her husband, director Bart Freundlich, decided to upgrade to the West Village building's penthouse in 2002, they turned quite the profit, unloading the apartment for $1.95 million. The couple now live in a townhouse nearby at 335 West 11th Street, which they bought in 2003 for $3.5 million and subsequently renovated to the nines, but their original downtown abode is back on the market, this time asking $4.3 million, according to the Observer.
More on the apartment here
October 27, 2016

20 years ago, the city told Donald Trump he couldn’t put his name on the Columbus Circle globe

These days, New Yorkers are going to great lengths to get Trump's name off their buildings, and even his company itself has personally shed his moniker from their hotel brand amid declining bookings. But back in the '80s and '90s, the Donald would freely slap his name on just about anything he wanted. That is until 1996, when the Giuliani administration (sense the irony here?) denied his request to brand the giant globe outside the Trump International Hotel & Tower. The Times recently got its hands on a 20-year-old City Planning Department memorandum that outlines how the agency deemed any lettering on the sculpture illegal.
Get the full story
October 26, 2016

Billy Bush trying to unload Chelsea townhouse for $8.2M after being ousted from the ‘Today’ show

Back in December, before he became known to the world as Donald Trump's "locker room" buddy, Billy Bush bought the townhouse at 224 West 22nd Street in Chelsea. The anchor previously lived in LA, but needed a NYC residence for his new "Today" show gig. Though the Post reported earlier this week that Bush was listing the home now that he's been ousted from the NBC morning show, it actually hit the market in April for $8,995,000. However, as The Real Deal points out, just yesterday it got a price chop to $8,250,000, which means the disgraced Bush is probably hoping to make a quick getaway.
Find out more
October 25, 2016

‘Talk Stoop’ host Cat Greenleaf selling $3M Boerum Hill townhouse with reclaimed beams from a Catskills barn

If the stoop of this Greek Revival brick rowhouse at 92 Wyckoff Street in Boerum Hill looks familiar, that's because it belongs to Cat Greenleaf, host of NBC's "Talk Stoop" talk show where she interviews celebrities on her front steps (h/t Curbed). She and husband Michael Rey bought the home in 2006 for $850,000, and have now listed it for just a hair under $3 million. This comes after a significant renovation that outfitted the charming house with wide-plank wood floors, barn doors, exposed brick walls, and a mix of the original ceiling beams paired with those reclaimed from a Catskills barn.
Take a look
October 24, 2016

Alexander Wang’s swanky-meets-moody Tribeca Loft finds a buyer for $3.5M

In 2010, fashion designer Alexander Wang bought his Tribeca loft at 39 Worth Street for $2 million from former New York Times Style writer Holly Brubach. He then undertook a gut renovation with decorator Ryan Korban that resulted in an "industrial chic" space that embodies his love of black and his line's signature minimalist, urban vibes, as seen through details like a furry furniture, zebra rugs, leather pillows, and mirrored wall panels. Wang listed the 2,550-square-foot home for $3.75 million in May, and the Observer now reports that it's gone into contract for $3.5 million.
Tour the swanky space
October 24, 2016

Ashley Olsen closes on boutique Greenwich Village condo for $6.75M

Ashley Olsen went into contract on a luxe two-bedroom spread at 37 East 12th Street in May. The Greenwich Village apartment had been listed for $7.1 million, but the Observer confirms that the single twin has now closed on the home for $6.75 million. The 19th century cast-iron building was converted to six full-floor boutique condos, and this privacy is what reportedly enticed Olsen. The prime Village location probably didn't hurt either considering she and sis Mary Kate named their clothing line The Row after the famous stretch of rowhouses along Washington Square Park.
Check out Olsen's new digs
October 24, 2016

For $14M, own the former Chelsea penthouse of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay

"Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay sold her incredible Chelsea penthouse back in 2008 for $8.15 million. The duplex spread at the landmarked O'Neill Building (the former Ladies' Mile department store called Hugh O'Neill's Dry Goods Store) spans nearly 5,000 square feet with an additional 2,500 square feet of outdoor space spread across three terraces, one of which sits right next to one of the building's gilded cupolas; inside, there's a bonus room within the cupola. The residence is currently owned by Ewa Laboz. She bought it with her late husband Maurice, who passed away in early 2015, but was a noted millionaire landlord. He made headlines for leaving $20 million to his two daughters, but only if they complied with a list of requirements like getting married, earning a certain salary, and becoming a stay-at-home mom. Despite the hefty fortune he left behind, the family is clearly looking to add to it, as they've listed the apartment for $14 million.
Take a tour
October 21, 2016

Yorkville apartment of Bernie Madoff’s late son Andrew sells for $5.4M

Andrew H. Madoff, the son of Bernie Madoff who passed away from cancer in 2014, lived in a full-floor, five-bedroom apartment at 433 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side. He bought the sprawling condo in 2008 for $4.37 million, and initially tried to rent it in 2012 for $25,000/month. After his death, it went on the market for $5.87 million in February of this year, and according to city records, it's now found a buyer for $5.39 million.
More this way
October 21, 2016

Board shoots down residents’ petition to rename Trump Place

Add to the list of folks who want absolutely no association with this year's inflammatory Republican presidential nominee: the residents of Trump Place. According to the LA Times, a number of Trump Place tenants had been quietly petitioning to have The Donald's name removed from their entrance at 220 Riverside Boulevard. As one embarrassed resident told the paper, “I used to tell people I lived in Trump Place. Now I say I live at 66th and Riverside Boulevard.” Another said it’s “annoying” that he “always has to defend it to friends.”
Find out more here
October 21, 2016

Bankrupt Gawker founder Nick Denton lists Soho loft for $4.25M after judge denies rental attempt

After the infamous $140 million Hulk Hogan lawsuit, Gawker founder Nick Denton owes $1.73 million on the mortgage of his Soho loft with a monthly payment of $14,985, according to court filings uncovered by the Wall Street Journal. Just as Univision took over his former company in August, he tried to rent the pad at 76 Crosby Street, but a bankruptcy judge denied the transaction. He's now listed his home for $4.25 million, which would certainly make a dent in the $10 million that he owes as part of the invasion of privacy judgment.
More views and drama
October 21, 2016

Preserved Dakota apartment of late ‘All in the Family’ actor Carroll O’Connor sells for $2.8M

When this perfectly preserved residence at the Dakota hit the market in July 2015, it was asking $3.6 million, but after a price chop to $2.93 million, it's found a buyer. The Observer reports that the gorgeous co-op was home to actor Carroll O'Connor--Archie Bunker from "All in the Family"--until he passed away in 2001, from which point his wife Nancy Fields O’Connor maintained ownership until her death in 2014. The new owners paid $2.84 million for the two-bedroom home, which retains original historic details like "huge arched windows with marble sills and built-in shutters... blended patterned hardwood floors, extra tall solid wood doors with original fixtures and etched glass, distinct moldings and the original sunburst copper grills," as 6sqft previously described.
See the whole place
October 20, 2016

‘Shark Tank’ guru Barbara Corcoran unloads Upper East Side co-op for $4.8M

Real estate legend and "Shark Tank" star Barbara Corcoran bought a glamorous duplex penthouse on the Upper East Side back in April 2015. She and her husband, former FBI agent William Higgins, dropped $10 million on the pad, quite the steal considering it originally listed for $17 million. A year later, they listed their other home in the 'hood, a classic Rosario Candela-designed co-op at 1192 Park Avenue. Now, five months later, they've unloaded the home for $4.87 million (h/t NYP), just under the $4.9 million asking price and a good deal more than the $3.5 million they bought it for in 2000.
See the apartment here
October 18, 2016

‘The Chew’ host Michael Symon selling historic West Village townhouse for $5.8M

Chef Michael Symon--co-host of "The Chew," Food Network personality, and restauranteur--picked up the narrow, turn-of-the-century townhouse at 58 Downing Street in April 2015 for $5.14 million, but just a year and a half later, he's put the West Village home back on the market, reports Curbed. He's not looking to make much of a profit, listing it for only $5.8 million, despite what the listing calls a renovation "for a contemporary lifestyle" and its plethora of historic details and stylish decor.
See the whole place
October 18, 2016

Knicks player Lance Thomas scores $3.56M Tribeca condo

Nets players might be gobbling up Brooklyn real estate, but when it comes to the Knicks it's all about staying near MSG in Manhattan. Recently, both Sasha Vujacic and Kristaps Porzingis rented units in Midtown West's fitness-centric Sky, and Joakim Noah picked up a $6 million Chelsea penthouse. Now, forward Lance Thomas is settling down a bit farther south, as LLNYC reports that he dropped $3.56 million on a sprawling Tribeca triplex at 52 Lispenard Street, which makes sense since he recently inked a four-year, $27 million deal with the team.
See his new home
October 18, 2016

Bethenny Frankel checks out Robert DeNiro’s former $20M West Village penthouse

It hasn't even been a week since Bethenny Frankel triumphantly sold her $7 million Tribeca loft in just one day, but the Skinny Girl is already back on the hunt. The Post reports that she and "Million Dollar Listing's" Fredrik Eklund (he's also responsible for her recent sale) checked out a $20 million West Village penthouse yesterday. The incredible, 11,000-square-foot duplex at 165 Perry Street--which boasts glass floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, several landscaped terraces around a central courtyard, and a seven-car garage--was famously rented by Robert DeNiro for two years after his Upper West Side apartment caught fire in 2012.
Check out the jaw-dropping space
October 14, 2016

Bethenny Frankel sells $7M Tribeca loft in just one day

Being a reality TV star and having a broker who's one as well certainly didn't hurt Bethenny Frankel's odds of selling her luxe Tribeca loft. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that "Million Dollar Listing" agent Frederik Eklund sold the condo in just one day for its asking price of $6.95 million. As 6sqft noted last week when the loft at 195 Hudson Street hit the market, Frankel bought the four-bedroom spread in 2011 for just under $5 million, then spent $500,000 furnishing and renovating it. But when she and ex-husband Jason Hoppy decided to part ways, the apartment became the most contentious part of the divorce, resulting in a very public, four-year legal battle. With the home finally off her hands, the “Real Housewives of New York City” star and outspoken founder of the Skinny Girl empire told the Journal, "I’m glad that the real-estate gods were looking out for me saying, ‘let’s give her a break.’”
Check it out
October 13, 2016

Saddam Hussein had a secret torture chamber across from Mayor Bloomberg’s UES mansion

Opulent Upper East Side mansions are not exactly what come to mind when one thinks of brutal dictatorships and torture chambers, but a piece in the Post reveals that Saddam Hussein kept a hidden detention room in the basement of the Mission of Iraq at 14 East 79th Street--just a block from Central Park and right across the street from former Mayor Bloomberg's home. Two Iraqi officials, who spoke anonymously, told the paper that when Hussein rose to power in 1979, he had the prison room installed so that his military intelligence officers (the Mukhabarat) could torture local Iraqis, "using them as leverage to get their relatives back in the homeland to surrender and cooperate with the tyrannical government."
It gets worse...
October 13, 2016

Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo make a sale on their sprawling Soho loft

Just six months after listing their Soho pad at 112 Greene Street, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo have made a sale. As The Post first reports, the sexy pair has sold their sprawling floor-through apartment to shoe designer Nick Lucio for an impressive $5.4 million—a number just shy of their original $5.5 million asking price, but still nearly $1 million more than what they originally paid for the home in 2014. This good news also comes bundled with a bundle of joy, as the couple also welcomed their first baby, Dusty Rose, into the world just two weeks ago.
have a look inside their former pad
October 12, 2016

Christie Brinkley lists her dreamy Sag Harbor vacation home for $25 million

Supermodel Christie Brinkley has just listed her lovely Sag Harbor property for a cool $25 million. Originally built in 1843, the three-story Colonial home includes period details, like wide-plank pine floors and multiple fireplaces, and has been decorated as one of the most idyllic vacation homes ever. Even better, the sprawling four-acre property comes with 327 feet of beachfront that overlooks the harbor, yachts, sailboats, and open bay of the Hamptons.
Take the grand tour of her estate
October 12, 2016

Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford to be George Clooney’s neighbor at Norman Foster’s Midtown tower

Rande Gerber and wife Cindy Crawford have purchased the apartment just upstairs from George and Amal Clooney's at the Norman Foster-designed One Hundred East Fifty Third Street, according to Page Six. As 6sqft recently reported, the Clooneys just scooped up a high-floor (though not the $65 million penthouse they reportedly viewed) apartment at the glassy tower. Longtime pals Clooney and Gerber recently sold their matched pair of adjoining Mexican villas, christened Casamigos–the same name as the duo's tequila brand, which is reportedly expanding its presence in New York City.
Check out the interiors at the new celebrity-approved tower
October 11, 2016

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski drop $6M on a historic Park Slope townhouse

When she started working on "The Girl on the Train" back at the end of 2015, Emily Blunt was rumored to be moving to Brooklyn since the movie was filming here in the city (despite the fact that the book took place near London). Now that the thriller opened at number one in the weekend box office, the sleuths over at LLNYC have uncovered that she and hubby John Krasinski did, in fact, move to the borough in December of last year, dropping $6 million on this landmarked Park Slope townhouse. According to filings with the DOB, they also spent $300,000 renovating the six-bedroom limestone beauty.
Check out the historic home