Last month, New York City had its first cryptocurrency real estate closing. The next week, an owner of the Plaza floated the idea of selling a “Plaza Token” to a group of foreign investors. Now, hedge fund founder and tech investor Claudio Guazzoni de Zanett, the owner of the landmarked townhouse at 10 East 76th Street, is asking one price in US dollars and a higher value in digital currencies due to their volatility. He is willing to accept bitcoin, Ethereum or Ripple. “I’m a true believer in these networks, but it’s very volatile,” Zanett told the Wall Street Journal. “They could be down 60% in two weeks.”

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Photo via Ed Yourdon/Flickr

‘Tis the time of year for private school acceptance letters to arrive. Nervous teens and parents race to their inboxes and find out if they are given the honor of spending upwards of 50k a year on their children’s education, often at one of the Upper East Side’s highly prestigious institutions. At the same time, the starting gun sounds on the race to find an Upper East Side home to move to near school.

amNY reported that with the “private school bump,” not only do buildings see a jump in families moving their primary residences to the area but many see NYC residents buying “little studios for them and their kids for Monday through Friday just to be closer to the school so they don’t have to commute from Tribeca, the Lower East Side, or Chelsea.”

Hear from the pros

On the 34th floor at the Tower East on 72nd and 3rd Avenue is the former home of Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck. “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men” author lived here with his third wife, Elaine Anderson Steinbeck, until his death in 1968. She stayed in the apartment until her death in 2003, after which time it was completely renovated with new windows, floors, plumbing, electric and an expanded entrance with the addition of an adjacent three-bedroom apartment. But the new owners left a few nods to the literary great, including keeping his study intact, complete with his original wooden desk, notes on the wall, and posters, according to the Post.

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The Frick Collection has unveiled its $160 million Selldorf Architects-designed upgrade and expansion, which will open up the private living quarters of Henry Clay Frick’s original 1914 home to the public for the first time. As the New York Times explained, the renderings illustrate a plan to expand the existing building’s second level, add two set-back stories above the music room, and an addition behind the library that will match its seven-story height. These will house a 220-seat underground auditorium, an education center with classrooms, in addition to a renovated lobby and larger museum shop.

More details and renderings ahead

Rendering via Target

Retail giant Target announced on Tuesday that it will bring three new Target stores to New York City, further expanding its footprint in the Big Apple. The new stores, planned for the Upper East Side, Astoria and Staten Island, will be “small format,” tailored to the needs of shoppers in urban areas (h/t NBC). In a statement, Mark Schindele, a senior vice president of Target’s properties, said: “All three of these new stores will offer the best of Target in that borough, yet curate the assortment to meet the needs and preferences of the nearby community.”

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After all, there’s no need to worry about having a place near work. In addition to the disgraced anchorman’s Sag Harbor home (one of his three Hamptons properties) Lauer’s Upper East Side co-op at 133 East 64th Street is now for sale, asking $7.35 million. The four-bedroom, 11-room pad is also, as the Post points out, where the former “Today” anchor was holed up last November when he was informed of his dismissal by NBC News head Andy Lack.

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Twenty years ago, celebrated news anchor Katie Couric bought a classic, five-bedroom co-op at 1155 Park Avenue. But after remarrying in 2014 to financier John Molner in 2014, the couple upgraded to a $12 million, full-floor apartment at the Peter Pennover-designed 151 East 78th Street. Couric first listed her longtime Upper East Side home this past October for $8.25 million; she then dropped the price to $7,995,000 at the end of January, and now the Post reports that the home has gone into contract.

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Designer Francine Coffey brought an elegant aestheitc–inspired by American history and the Federal era–to her co-op spanning the full parlor floor of the Upper East Side mansion at 36 East 69th Street. The prewar, baronial-feeling home spans 1,425 square feet, all of it dripping with lavish details that include fireplaces, French doors, wood moldings and decorative ceilings. Coffey has listed the grand spread for a grand total of $2.25 million.

Go inside

Image courtesy of CityRealty

Trump Park Avenue LLC, a unit of President Trump’s company, sued Faisal bin Abdul Majeed al-Saud in February claiming the Saudi prince signed a lease on the Manhattan condo at 502 Park Avenue in 2013 but hasn’t paid rent since January 2017. Bloomberg reports that according to a complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court, the Trump Organization says the defendant agreed in June 2014 to extend his lease through June 2019. The defendant, on the other hand, says the landlord failed to comply with lease’s terms and is asking the judge to toss out a lawsuit seeking almost $2 million in unpaid rent, claiming that he gave back the keys to the penthouse last year.

More international drama and intrigue this way

Rendering of The Kent via Beyer Blinder Belle; Photo via CityRealty

Applications are now being accepted for 21 brand new, affordable condominiums at Extell Development’s Upper East Side tower, The Kent. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the 30-story building, located at 200 East 95th Street, has a facade covered in red brick with accents of dark metal. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $79,333 and $119,250 annually can apply for the studio, one- and two-bedroom condo units, which range in price from $356,700 to $427,000.

Find out if you qualify