The Plaza

1 Central Park South
Condo in Midtown West
View the CityRealty Profile of The Plaza
Photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman.
April 11, 2016

How Much Is Eloise’s Plaza Apartment Worth? And Stuart Little’s Gramercy Townhouse?

It is well known that Eloise lived in The Plaza. But the book was published in 1955, well before Manhattan real estate skyrocketed. So what would her apartment be worth today? In fact, many children’s books have been set in New York City—think "Harriet the Spy" or "Stuart Little." In this day and age of record-setting prices, how much would those fictional characters have to pay to live in their homes today? Who would have seen the most appreciation, Eloise or Lyle Crocodile? Much detective work (à la Harriet) reveals the residences of a boy-mouse and a anthropomorphized girl dog span various neighborhoods including the Upper East Side, Gramercy Park, and Park Slope. What follows is a survey of six iconic picture books set in New York City and the current valuations of their fictional homes.
Check them out here
March 28, 2016

‘Eloise From Hell’ Spent 35 Years in the Plaza for $500/Month, Until Donald Trump Came Along

Remember the story of Herbert J. Sukenik, the famous Central Park West "hermit holdout?" Developers paid the rent-controlled curmudgeon $17 million and gave him a free massive pad overlooking the park in a legendary buyout. His female counterpart might be one Fannie Lowenstein, whom none other than Donald Trump is said to have ended up bestowing a sprawling suite in the venerable Plaza Hotel at 1 Central Park South, complete with a Steinway grand piano and maid service. For zero dollars a month. For life. Here’s how the story of the woman the hotel staff referred to as “the Eloise from Hell” became yet another Manhattan rent regulation legend, as told by Vice.
Find out more
March 23, 2016

Breathalyzer Entrepreneur Lists Iconic Plaza Condo for $2.39M

A gracious layout, unique pre-war details–including the signature bathroom finishes–and amenities unmatched in any Manhattan building make this one-bedroom condominium in the legendary Plaza Hotel and Residences at 1 Central Park South as enviable now as ever. Currently asking $2.389 million, this perfectly maintained apartment offers all the cachet of Plaza living and every modern convenience. The home's floorplan–offering a spacious entry foyer and a huge living/dining space–could even handle the addition of another bedroom or any number of alternative configurations. The unit faces the garden, and oversized windows allow warm light to infiltrate every corner.
Tour this classic Central Park South home
March 17, 2016

The Plaza Reportedly Headed to Foreclosure Auction Next Month

The Plaza, New York City's iconic 109-year-old hotel and residence (formerly known as the Plaza Hotel) at 1 Central Park South will head for the auction block next month, says Bloomberg Business. An unnamed source claims the storied hotel will be offered in a foreclosure auction on April 26 along with the Dream Downtown hotel in Chelsea. The two mortgages total about $500 million, according to the report.
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March 16, 2016

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Former Plaza Suite Gets a Price Cut to $26M

The 4,000-square-foot Plaza suite that Frank Lloyd Wright once briefly called home just got a price reduction (and a broker change) from $39.5 million to $26 million (h/t Curbed). As 6sqft discovered last year, Wright lived in the corner apartment from 1954 to 1959 while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum. Though the architect's past residency certainly adds interest, the impressive pad at 1 Central Park South does a fine job impressing us on its own—and we're not alone, clearly, since the home was featured in Architectural Digest in 2014. Current owners James and Lisa Cohen (chairman of Hudson Media and home editor at DuJour magazine, respectively) bought the sprawling condo for $13 million in 2009 to use as a Manhattan pied-a-terre (their main residence is in New Jersey). Then they proceeded to gut-renovate and redesign the home with help from Louis Lisboa of VL Architects and interior designer Susanna Maggard. The apartment headed back to the market last year for a renovation-reflecting $39.5 million. Now the colorful, luxurious and impossibly large four-bedroom pad is asking a significantly slimmer but still sizeable $26 million.
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July 2, 2015

A Hungarian Princess Once Kept a Pet Lion Cub at the Plaza

Last week, we explored the history of the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, America's oldest and largest cemetery of its kind. We mentioned that beloved pets laid to rest in this upstate burial ground include much more than just cats and dogs. One of the most notable unconventional pets is Goldfleck, a lion cub who lived the life of royalty in the Plaza Hotel. Goldfleck belonged to Princess Elisabeth Vilma Lwoff-Parlaghy of Hungary. She was a well-known portrait painter with a love for animals. After visiting New York twice, she moved to the city permanently in 1909, taking up residence in a 14-room suite on the third floor of the Plaza. She had seen a cute lion cub at the Ringling Brothers circus, but when she asked to buy him, the circus owners refused. They did, however, agree to sell him to Daniel E. Sickles, a Civil War hero whose portrait the Princess had just painted. He immediately turned the cub over to Princess Elisabeth.
Find out the rest of the story
March 31, 2015

Live in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Former Plaza Apartment for $39.5M

Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright was once a resident of The Plaza? Neither did we! The Post reports that the 4,000-square-foot pad the prolific architect briefly called home has just hit the market for $39.5 million. Wright lived in the corner apartment of the storied building from 1954 to 1959 while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum. The location right by Central Park—and a 30-minute walk from the site of his iconic creation—must certainly have bode well for the architect's creative juices.
Inside Wright's former digs here
February 20, 2015

Troubled Plaza Penthouse Returns with the Same $59M Asking Price

This troubled triplex penthouse at The Plaza just can’t seem to catch a break. It’s been a steady fall from grace ever since 2008, when an unhappy buyer who bought the $53.5 million place sight unseen sued for his $10.7 million deposit plus damages, claiming the home was misrepresented. Well, London-based developer Christian Candy purchased the pad for a comparatively dirt cheap $25.4 million in 2012 and tried to sell it for $59 million a couple of times in 2013. Now the plagued penthouse is back at the same $59 million asking. There’s something to be said for consistency. Let’s just hope the stars align this time and this “townhouse in the sky” finds an owner.
More pics inside
October 6, 2014

Rent the Ultra-Opulent Plaza Pad of Kazakhstan President’s Nephew for $55K a Month

Daniyar Nazarbayev, the ultra-rich nephew of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, is now leasing his equally ultra-luxurious four-bedroom at The Plaza Hotel for $55,000 a month, reports the NYDN. The beautiful 4,200 square foot home is certainly of a presidential caliber and comes dripping with the ornate features and finishes that have become so synonymous with the storied Plaza. With sunny Central Park views from every room and expansive north and west exposures, this home also hosts ceilings highlighted with mosaic stained glass and crystal chandeliers, artistically detailed moldings, a formal dining room, marble entry foyer, and much more—including a helluva lot of international drama to boot.
Inside the embroiled plaza home here
August 28, 2014

Impeccably Finished Condo at the Plaza Asks $50 Million

Just weeks after Tommy Hilfiger put his Plaza Hotel estate up for sale, another one is following suit, asking an astronomical $49.5 million, nearly triple the amount it was purchased for back in 2008. However, as ambitious as the price may be, this three-bedroom condo is pretty spectacular. The 3,413-square-foot Art Deco residence has exquisite details, 13-foot ceilings, and stellar views of Central Park—including those of the pond and Gapstow Bridge—from every major room.
Take a look inside this impressive residence
August 25, 2014

Real Estate Wire: The Plaza Hotel is Still for Sale; How to Convert a Church Into a Rental

The sultan of Brunei’s interest in the Plaza was all fluff, but the landmark hotel is still up for sale. The hotel will likely fetch $2B, but any deal will be extremely complicated given the current ownership structure. [NYT] Post-gentrifiers are upset with the post-post-gentrifiers that have driven Williamsburg’s prices sky high. [NYT] The George Washington Bridge Terminal […]

July 30, 2014

Tour Tommy Hilfiger’s Lavish Plaza Penthouse

When we think of Tommy Hilfiger we might imagine him in an all-American, red-white-and-blue outfit, standing in a nautical seashore cottage, but his penthouse at the Plaza couldn't be any more the opposite than this vision. Instead of paintings of beach scenes there are Basquiats and Warhols (20 of the latter, to be exact); rather than white-washed walls there are entire rooms clad in marble; and instead of simple, shabby chic bedrooms there are opulent personal retreats that could fit entire NYC apartments within their footprint. In short, Mr. Hilfiger's city residence is nothing short of regal. He and his wife Dee Ocleppo purchased and combined three separate units in 2008, and they then embarked on a massive renovation of the duplex to emulate the old-world style of the landmarked building.
Take a tour through this magnificent home and see if the couple lived up to goal

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