This $18M Prewar Co-op Is the Kind of Apartment That Invented Central Park Views

In addition to celebrity residents like Robert DeNiro, Paul Simon and, more recently, Annie Liebovitz, the 1928 co-op building at 88 Central Park West has bragging rights to the kind of views that were being enjoyed by the fortunate before trophy towers like 432 Park Avenue were even a glimmer in any developer’s eye. The classic Central Park West residence known as the Brentmore has only 12 floors, but it possesses a Gilded-Age cachet that’s lost very little of its appeal even in the 21st century. Residents add upper-floors and next-doors rather than move, and floor plans are generous and always include foyers and maids’ rooms (almost all units were built with seven rooms). And the location, of course, needs no introduction.

All of those reasons and more add up to the eight-figure price tag on this classic duplex. For $18 million, you’re getting the real deal, though it doesn’t come with a robot-manned garage, a branded gym, or even central air conditioning (though you could certainly see about having it installed). The kind of space you usually find in a townhouse is par for the course in prewar beauties like this one, which has three bedrooms and plenty of room for more.

Enter through a gracious gallery. The current owners are clearly art lovers, and there’s enough space for large, dramatic pieces that look thoroughly modern but completely at home. Though what’s pictured looks to be in perfect condition, with gleaming parquet floors, coffered ceilings, fireplaces and moldings galore, we get the feeling that there are updates to be done. Kitchens and baths aren’t pictured, and there’s no mention of renovations. All of which could mean there’s an opportunity to create a perfect dream home within the context of the historic elegance of this Schwartz and Gross-designed building.

A massive grand corner parlor and formal dining room are ideal for entertaining (or watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). A spacious den, eat-in kitchen and windowed study are also on the first floor, as is a powder room.

A wide, sweeping staircase brings you to the home’s second level where a corner master suite boasts the same tremendous park and open city views as the parlor below. Two more generously-proportioned bedrooms and two large bathrooms can be found on this floor as well.

As mentioned, perfectly preserved architectural details can be found in every direction, including arched doors, leaded glass, high ceilings, and huge wood-framed windows. Though nearby newcomers like 15 Central Park West might make headlines for their unbridled luxury, a home like this doesn’t need the spotlight to glow.

[Listing: 88 Central Park West, 7N by Neal Sroka, Vincent Santoro and Abigail (Abby) Sroka for Douglas Elliman]

[Via CityRealty]

RELATED:

• Annie Liebovitz Purchases Central Park Pad Next Door to Robert De Niro
• Jeffrey Gates and Richard Moran Acquire the Rest of Laurie Tisch’s Brentmore Penthouse for $22.5M
• Radio Rabble-Rouser Don Imus Lists CPW Pad With Terraces and Endless Views for $19.8M
• The High and Low: Two Classic Central Park West Co-ops in the Celeb-Filled El Dorado

Images courtesy of Douglas Elliman