By Dana Schulz, Fri, June 21, 2019 When you think of the heart of Midtown, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not a turn-of-the-century mansion dripping with historic details. But nestled amongst the office buildings on West 56th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues is just that. Designed by architects Warren & Wetmore of Grand Central fame, 10 West 56th Street has gone through several incarnations over its lifetime, from private residence (including the one-time home of Elizabeth Taylor!) to high-end retail space.
Its most recent transformation was helmed by Roxana Q. Girand, founder of real estate development firm Sebastian Capital. Wanting to merge her expertise and passion in commercial space, art, and beauty, she opened the Elizabeth Collective this past fall as part art pop-up event space, part permanent studio workspaces. 6sqft recently visited Roxana at the Collective to get a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible French Renaissance Revival building, see how she’s given the space a new life, and learn more about what’s to come.
Read more
By Alexandra Alexa, Thu, June 20, 2019 Image via Flickr
The last standing single-screen movie theatre in the city, Midtown’s Paris Theatre, may be shuttering as early as July or August, Deadline reports. According to “buzz on the Gotham arthouse theater circuit,” the last screening of Ron Howard’s Pavarotti on June 27 could be the last at the arthouse theatre on 58th Street, unless “something drastic happens.” The 586-seat theatre opened across the street from the Plaza Hotel in 1948, with a ribbon-cutting by actress Marlene Dietrich. Its since been a go-to spot for indie and foreign films, with a predilection, as its name implies, for French titles.
Get the scoop
By Devin Gannon, Fri, May 17, 2019 New rendering of Central Park Tower’s indoor pool, via Extell
In March, Extell Development’s supertall on Billionaires’ Row became the tallest residential tower in the world, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall 432 Park Avenue. Now, ahead of Central Park Tower’s official topping out scheduled this summer, the developers have released new renderings of its exclusive amenity space, including the indoor pool and full-service lobby. And a handful of the building’s 179 residences will be listed for the first time next week, ranging from a two-bedroom for $6.9 million to a five-bedroom for $63 million.
More this way
By Annie Doge, Mon, April 15, 2019 Photo of Bezos via NMAH’s Flickr; 220 CPS photo via a Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects
While Amazon won’t find a home in New York City, the tech giant’s founder just might. The New York Post reported on Friday that Jeff Bezos has been house hunting in the Big Apple following his recent divorce settlement. Bezos, currently the richest man in the world, checked out apartments at 220 Central Park South, where the most expensive home in the country recently sold.
Get the details
By Michelle Cohen, Mon, April 1, 2019 Listing image courtesy of Compass; photo of Doris Roberts via Wiki Commons
Back in 2017, 6sqft reported that the duplex co-op at 200 Central Park South owned by the late Emmy-winning actress Doris Roberts (you probably know her best as Marie Barone from “Everybody Loves Raymond”) had been listed for $3.3 million. Now the New York Post reports that the two-bedroom duplex has sold for $4 million. The sale included the two apartments owned by Roberts’ estate, plus an adjacent one-bedroom. The buyer, a Broadway producer, plans to combine the apartments into one big duplex within walking distance to the theater district.
Get one last look
By Devin Gannon, Wed, March 27, 2019 Current view of construction via 6sqft (L); Rendering of the completed tower via Extell (R)
Extell Development’s supertall on Billionaires’ Row is officially the tallest residential tower in the world. As YIMBY reported this week, Central Park Tower, at 225 West 57th Street, has reached its 92nd floor, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall tower at 432 Park Avenue. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower will top out at 95 stories, or 1,550 feet tall, making it stand out significantly among neighboring skyscrapers when construction wraps up next year.
Details here
By Devin Gannon, Wed, March 20, 2019 Via Wikimedia
President Donald Trump this month sold a $2.9 million condo at his Central Park South building to an unknown buyer, Forbes reported Tuesday. According to public documents, the deal between the Trump Organization and an entity called Koctagon LLC occurred on March 8 for an apartment at Trump Parc East, an 79-unit building next to the south end of Central Park. A limited liability company, or LLC, is typically used to protect the identity of the buyer.
Get the details
By Alexandra Alexa, Tue, March 5, 2019 Here’s a rare chance to glimpse inside the secretive interiors of 220 Central Park South, which have previously been kept completely private by developer Vornado Realty Trust (h/t NYP). This is the first rental listing to open up in one of New York’s most coveted addresses, where billionaire Ken Griffin closed on a penthouse for just shy of $240 million, setting the record for the most expensive home ever sold in the United States. For $59,000 a month, the 3,114-square-foot home comes with some of the best views in town–even from the bathroom!
Look inside
By Michelle Cohen, Thu, February 28, 2019 220 Central Park South. Image via Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
We’ve heard it before, but it’s always a shock to hear about how the city’s tax system undervalues big-ticket apartments in expensive neighborhoods. The Wall Street Journal reports that the effective tax rate on billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffin’s sky mansion at 220 Central Park South comes out to about 0.22 percent–compared with about one percent in the city’s less affluent neighborhoods. The reasoning behind this is tied to a complicated city property tax system that assesses all co-ops and condos as if they were rental properties. Rental income at nearby buildings is assessed in order to estimate a condo’s value.
What’s going on here?
By Michelle Cohen, Mon, January 28, 2019 Progress images of 111 W57th Street; photo © Paul Clemence.
Even before reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect’s Midtown supertall 111 West 57th Street, which surpassed 1,000 feet a few months ago, wowed us with views from the tower’s 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires’ Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become one of the skinniest skyscraper in the world. The new year brings new progress–and new photos showing the 86-story tower’s intricate terra cotta and bronze facade making its way skyward.
Terracotta and bronze: going up!
