Celebrities

September 20, 2016

Fort Greene brownstone from ‘Girls’ looks even better in real life, asks $5.6M

Remember that season on Girls where Lena Dunham's character falls for a handsome doctor with a gorgeous, pristine renovated brownstone? The townhouse that hosted those episodes is, in fact, the same 5,600-square-foot landmarked home that just hit the market for $5.6 million. Located at 52 Oxford Street in leafy, historic Fort Greene, it's currently owned by actor, screenwriter, and sometimes interior designer, Billy Morrissette, and according to the listing, also did star turns on Elementary, SNL and Difficult People. But the five-story 19th-century beauty with thoughtfully chosen and luxurious finishes, a sprawling deck, a deep landscaped yard and an industrial-chic glass-walled sun room has plenty of star power even when the cameras aren't rolling.
Tour all five star-quality stories of townhouse glory
September 19, 2016

A Trump empire built on $885 million in tax breaks has cost the city a fortune

If you've followed Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump's gold-plated real estate career, you might already know how much of his success has been due to his family's extensive political connections–and generous tax breaks, grants and incentives from the government and taxpayers. In case you haven't read Trump's 1987 bestseller "The Art of the Deal," the New York Times illuminates the role that hundreds of millions in tax breaks have played in the Trump empire. While Trump may not be much different from other developers in seeking tax breaks, the candidate vociferously paints a picture of a rigged system and a fixed game. But these very fixes have enabled him to achieve a net worth estimated at 4.5 billion and the opportunity to indulge a run for the nation’s highest office.
So what's been going on here?
September 19, 2016

Video: Visit designer Kate Spade in her art-filled, unfussy Upper East Side home

Ultra-popular clothing and accessories designer Kate Valentine Spade invites us into the Upper East Side apartment she shares with her husband/business partner Andy Spade and young daughter, courtesy of People magazine. She's managed to snatch a free moment away from her new accessories line Frances Valentine to give us a whirlwind tour of her two favorite rooms.
Step inside and have a look
September 16, 2016

Hamptons estate where Jackie O spent her childhood summers lists for $50M

6sqft has already taken a look at the posh Upper East Side building where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis grew up, and now we can go inside the 100-year-old Hamptons estate where she spent her childhood summers. As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the 11-acre property in East Hampton known as Lasata is currently owned by fashion designer and former Coach executive Reed Krakoff, who's listed the entire Arts and Crafts-style residence for more than $50 million.
See the whole property
September 15, 2016

‘Humans of New York’ creator picks up $2.45M Chelsea duplex

You may not know Brandon Stanton by name, but you certainly know his photo-journalism project "Humans of New York." Launched six years ago, the social media sensation features interviews with thousands of people on the streets of New York, with special series focusing on groups like Syrian refugees and veterans, and it's now spread internationally. Stanton has encountered wild success, even authoring a book that spent 29 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and he's now scored a lovely Chelsea co-op, reports the Observer. He and fiancée Erin O’Sullivan dropped $2.45 million on the lovely duplex at 440 West 23rd Street, which features a two-level backyard garden.
See the whole place
September 15, 2016

Ex-Fox News chair Roger Ailes tries to sell two Hudson Valley homes at a $1M+ loss

Scandal-plagued Fox News founding father and recent Donald J. Trump advisor Roger Ailes has put two of his Garrison, N.Y. homes on the market at significantly less than their purchase price, Variety reports. You may ask why Ailes has two homes in Garrison; in fact, Ailes owns a "hilltop compound" with over 20 acres and several houses in the quiet Putnam County hamlet.
Check out more photos, this way
September 15, 2016

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber buys second condo at Trump International for $7.6M

Though we're not sure about composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's political leanings in this country (he's a Conservative in Britain), he sure does seem to love some Donald Trump real estate. The Observer reports that the British musical theater impresario has dropped $7.6 million on a two-bedroom 35th-floor unit at Trump International in an off-market deal. He and his wife Madeleine already own another adjacent unit on the same floor in the Central Park West tower, which they bought in 2012 for $5.8 million after selling a Trump Tower duplex for $16.5 million in 2010.
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September 13, 2016

Judge orders Sean Lennon to remove tree that’s damaging Marisa Tomei’s parents’ house

After 19 months of finger pointing and contentious legal battles, Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko) has been ordered by a Manhattan judge to remove a tree on his Greenwich Village property at 153 West 13th Street after being sued by neighbors Gary and Addie Tomei (parents of actress Marisa Tomei). As 6sqft previously recounted, the Tomeis claimed the tree had spread its roots onto their property, cracking the stoop, breaking the railings, and coming through the basement floor of their townhouse. Though they also asked for $10 million in damages, it looks like the judge didn't move on that part of the suit, though she did quote Beatles lyrics in her ruling.
What'd she say?
September 9, 2016

‘This American Life’ host Ira Glass sued by condo board for harboring rats and bedbugs

Act one: A case of we said, they said, and the bedbugs at the center of it all. According to The Post, "This American Life" host Ira Glass and his wife Anaheed Alani are being sued by their 159 West 24th Street condo board for allowing bedbugs and rats to take hold of their home. The complaint was filed Thursday in the Manhattan Supreme Court and alleges that couple's neglect has created "unsanitary conditions" that have affected the entire building.
find out more
September 9, 2016

After trade, Rangers star Derick Brassard lists $4.5 Tribeca condo a year later

After just a year, former New York Rangers center Derick Brassard has listed his condo at One York Street in Tribeca, reports the Observer. In 2014, the French-Canadian hockey star signed a $25 million, five-year contract extension with the Blueshirts, so it came as no surprise that he dropped $4.15 million on the sleek pad last September. But after a surprising trade to the Ottawa Senators, he's now put it back on the market for $4.35 million.
Take a look around
September 9, 2016

Bandleader Cab Calloway once lived in this historic Fieldston Tudor now listed for $2.1M

The well-tended Fieldston Historic District–one of New York City’s only privately owned neighborhoods–in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale is considered one of the city’s best-preserved early 20th century suburbs, unique for its collection of revival-style Tudor, Mediterranean, and Colonial homes. One of those homes, an unassuming but charming Tudor at 4746 Iselin Avenue, is now on the market for $2.1 million. In addition to suburban tranquility with a New York City address, the home comes with a jazzy footnote of fame: It was once home to legendary jazz singer, bandleader and Cotton Club regular Cab Calloway, who died in 1994 at the age of 86. Built in around 1932, the house offers five bedrooms, original details, lovely restorations and lots of modern comforts–all just twenty minutes from Lincoln Center. The home consists of two stories for living and entertaining and some particularly magical outdoor spaces for gardening and relaxing.
Tour this Bronx historic gem
September 8, 2016

Author Junot Diaz makes a big profit on sale of Hamilton Heights townhouse

The Post reports that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz's Hamilton Heights townhouse at 529 West 141st Street has entered contract for $2.3 million, after he paid a mere $380,000 for it in 2002. He won't be pocketing all of it, though, as the sale comes amid an "an ugly, five-year court battle" with ex-girlfriend and state Senate candidate Marisol Alcantara over ownership of the three-family home. But $2 million split two ways is not too shabby.
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September 8, 2016

Trevor Noah renting a $15,000/month Hell’s Kitchen bachelor pad in Ralph Walker’s Stella Tower

Fresh into his second year as host of "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah is treating himself to some iconic New York real estate. The Post reports that the South African comedian is renting a $15,000 a month bachelor pad at Stella Tower, the Ralph Walker condo conversion in Hell's Kitchen. The Art Deco tower was built in 1927 as a telephone building and was converted along with Chelsea's Walker Tower in recent years by JDS Development Group. Noah's new digs are a 1,700-square-foot, two-bedroom residence that has an impressive outdoor terrace. Located at 425 West 50th Street, it's just a few blocks away from The Daily Show Studios at 52nd Street and Eleventh Avenue.
See the whole place
September 7, 2016

Kylie Jenner may have bought a $7M Tribeca penthouse

Unlike big sis Kim, Kylie Jenner may actually be paying for her NYC digs. Tribeca Citizen first reported information from an anonymous source that the model and youngest member of the Kardashian clan purchased a Tribeca penthouse, and Curbed determined, based on an Instagram photo and sales records, that it may be the $7 million top-floor unit at 15 Leonard Street. The five-bedroom triplex not only has luxurious interior details like floating concrete stairs and a limestone-clad master bath, but it boasts six outdoor terraces (perfect for setting up film crews).
Check it out
September 7, 2016

Downton Abbey director lists $5M Chelsea penthouse with glorious outdoor space

This duplex penthouse, located at the Chelsea condo 263 Ninth Avenue, has been listed for sale by Michael Engler, a director who has earned Emmy nominations for his work on Downton Abbey, Sex and the City, and 30 Rock. $4.95 million will get you his customized loft with a "private oasis" of outdoor space--nearly 1,000 square feet over a top-floor, south- and west-facing terrace. Engler owns the apartment with his husband--Stribling broker Steven Sumser, also the listing agent for the apartment--which they bought in 2006 for $2.545 million.
Check it out
September 6, 2016

Molly Ringwald sells East Village duplex to noted fashion photographer for $1.7M

80s icon Molly Ringwald, of “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” fame, has made a sale on her charming East Village duplex, reports the Post. The former teen idol put the two-bedroom pad on the market back in June for $1.79 million, and per city records just released, she's sold the home to noted fashion photographer (and bona fide Polish prince) Alexi Lubomirski and his wife Giada for $1.7 million.
go inside the home here
September 6, 2016

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin scope out $16.5M Chelsea penthouse for growing family

It's safe to say at this point that Alec Baldwin's infamous New York Magazine tirade about leaving the public eye of New York was not literal, as two and half years later the actor and his wife Hilaria haven't budged. In fact, the couple, currently expecting their third child together, was seen checking out a $16.5 million Chelsea penthouse, according to the Post. The 5,000-square-foot apartment is located at the top of one of the London Terrace Towers towers and is being sold as an approved combination of two existing units. It's said to be currently owned by "Sopranos" creator David Chase. But Baldwin hasn't eased up on privacy concerns. Baldwin hasn't eased up on privacy concerns, however. Sources say he's visited the apartment three times and "has been hanging out in the lobby asking residents about the building and what it’s like to be there."
See the whole space
September 2, 2016

One month after anti-Trump sale, Keith Olbermann’s former Trump Palace condo returns for $3.9M

Liberal commentator Keith Olbermann listed his Trump Palace condo on the Upper East Side for $3.9 million in April, publicly citing his opposition to the presidential candidate. Even though he took a loss on the sale (it went through for $3.8 million in July, but he bought it for $4.2 million in 2007), he couldn't hide his relief: "I feel 20 pounds lighter since I left… If they had changed the name of it to something more positive like Ebola Palace I would have happily stayed." Now, just a month after Olbermann's tweet that he was "FREEEEEEEEE!" and "got out with 90% of my money and 100% of my soul!" the 40th floor spread is back on the market for $3.9 million. As LLNYC reports, the buyer was Syrian businessman Albert Nasser, who has very different reasons for unloading the condo.
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September 1, 2016

Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown lists elegant Sutton Place triplex for $9.75M

As you would expect from a former editor of one of the world's most recognized lifestyle magazines, Tina Brown has for the last 20 years found refuge in a spectacular home in an equally spectacular building at 447 East 57th Street. But now the media mogul, who also served as an editor at The New Yorker and founded The Daily Beast, and her journalist husband Harold Evans, who himself boasts quite a resume having held top positions at the likes of U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic, have listed their elegant Sutton Place abode for $9.75M. According to the listing, the triplex comes with five bedrooms, 5.5 baths and an incredible 19'x64' private walled-in garden. But what might be the most alluring feature of this maisonette is that it's more than once served as the backdrop for riveting conversations (and surely some heated arguments) with names like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger and Angelina Jolie. As Brown so breezily told the Journal, “Yes, we love to entertain our friends, but there is always content to the evening, where we try to bring exposure for someone that has something incredible.”
Have a closer look inside this special home
September 1, 2016

Knicks’ new star player Joakim Noah buys a $6M Chelsea penthouse with huge terrace

Joakim Noah--NBA All Star, philanthropist, social activist, and noted free-spirit--signed with the Knicks in June for $18 million a year after spending nine years with the Chicago Bulls. Ahead of his debut season in New York, Noah has scooped up a $5.8 million Chelsea penthouse with an appropriately tricked-out entertaining terrace, reports the Post. The three-bedroom spread at 555 West 23rd Street not only has 2,300 square feet of impeccable indoor space, but the 2,000 square feet of outdoor space boasts a built-in hot tub, gas grill and wet bar, pergola, self-watering planters, and surround sound.
Check out the full bachelor pad
August 31, 2016

Kim and Kanye now enjoying a $30M Tribeca pad for $0, courtesy of Airbnb

If you needed any more proof that Kim Kardashian is the Queen of Social Media, look no further than her latest Instagram post where she can be seen lounging on the cream couch of a $30 million Tribeca penthouse—the spread she and hubby Kanye will be living in for free through October. As 6sqft previously reported, the couple was in talks with Airbnb the last few months for a lavish pad that would be provided to them at no monetary cost, so long as Kim posted something on one of her many social media accounts about it. And lo and behold, as The Post first reports, Kim sealed the deal yesterday on Instagram with a sultry shot captioned with “Just checked into our NYC penthouse. Thanks @airbnb for the gift of our home away from home.”
find out more here
August 29, 2016

Facebook co-founder Sean Parker buys three Greenwich Village townhouses to create mega-mansion

There must be something about the Village and Facebook that go together. Back in January, the social media company's co-founder Chris Hughes sold his Soho loft for $8.5 million and relocated to a $23.5 million West Village townhouse. And now the Post reports that the other founding partner, Sean Parker, who also created Napster, has acquired three homes along West 10th Street, where he plans to create one big mega-mansion.
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August 25, 2016

Six months after $6M buy, supermodel Irina Shayk lists 150 Charles condo as a $20,000 rental

When Sports Illustrated supermodel Irina Shayk bought a $6 million condo at celebrity favorite 150 Charles Street back in February, it was rumored that she'd be shacking up there with boyfriend Bradley Cooper. But it looks like she was getting in on the investment game; only six months later she's put the two-bedroom spread on the rental market for $20,000 a month. The Observer reports that Shayk never even moved in to the West Village building, where Ben Stiller, Jon Bon Jovi, and fashion photographer Steven Klein have also purchased units. This could be because she's still living at her other West Village condo at 166 Perry Street, which she listed last December for $4 million. Regardless, the new tenant of this sleek abode will be in good company.
See more of the apartment
August 23, 2016

Donald Trump quintuples rent on his own campaign office now that he’s seeing donations

Now that he's finally raking in funds from donors as opposed to cheaply self-funding his own campaign, Donald Trump is loosening the purse strings. The first order of business comes at his very own Trump Tower campaign headquarters, where he's nearly quintupled the monthly rent. According to a Huffington Post review of Federal Election Commission filings, his campaign was paying $35,458 a month from last summer until up March. But in July, when the donations started coming in, that skyrocketed to $169,758. This came with a reduction of paid employees and consultants, from 197 to 172.
What's going on?
August 22, 2016

Local writer raising $150,000 to save Langston Hughes’ $3M Harlem townhouse

Prolific writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes lived at 20 East 127th Street, an 1896 brownstone, in the 1950s and '60s, until he passed away in 1967. As Curbed notes, in more recent years, the ivy-covered, landmarked home has been plagued by lawsuits over its use and maintenance. The current owner listed it for $1.2 million in 2009, but it didn't sell even after the price was lowered in 2010. Today, it's estimated to be worth more than $3 million, though it's sitting vacant with its paint chipping. But local writer Renee Watson has big plans for the house that don't involve a multi-million-dollar sale that could potentially gut the interior, where Hughes' typewriter still sits on a shelf. CNN Money reports that she's launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 to rent the home, renovate it, and turn it into a cultural center for Harlem-based artists.
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