Anne Hathaway’s Infamous Former Midtown Love Nest for Rent for $48K a Month
We’ve followed ingenue Anne Hathaway through various life events as expressed in real estate transactions, including the Upper West Side penthouse she currently shares with husband Adam Shulman. Before that, there was the DUMBO Clocktower loft the actress reportedly used as an expensive closet. Now here’s a peek at the glossy midtown duplex in the Olympic Tower condominium at 641 Fifth Avenue that Ms. Hathaway shared with ex-con ex Raffaello Follieri for $37K/month in the mid-2000s (h/t WSJ); the apartment is currently on the rental market for $48,000 a month.
The listing points out that the glass-clad, dubiously decorated pad has the distinction of having been the rented home of the ill-starred couple during their “storybook romance,” which makes a lot of sense if the storybook you’re reading is a white collar crime novel about a 30-year-old con man arrested, convicted, incarcerated and deported for embezzlement and fraud, possibly with the aid of his actress girlfriend. But a different choice of words and more context should put this dressed-to impress duplex in a better light.
Vanity Fair describes the real estate decision in a story covering Follieri’s follies: “What better time to ramp up, and, while they were at it, rent a duplex in the Olympic Tower for $37,000 a month where visiting Vatican dignitaries could stay…But stay there Follieri eventually did—and at times with Hathaway, though she preferred Greenwich Village. ‘A butler opened the door,’ recalls a visitor. ‘There were incredible floor-to-ceiling views of Saint Patrick’s … white marble floors, contemporary modern furniture—very sterile. He said it was Ari Onassis’s apartment, but I don’t know that that’s true.'”
It’s not too difficult to see how any up-and-coming Vatican-scammer would want to use this impressive aerie as a sign of success. The 7,750 square-foot five-bedroom duplex all the way up on the 46th and 47th floors offers 360-degree views across Manhattan, river to river and over Central Park and from the Empire State Building to the Freedom Tower and way, way beyond.
Through the formal entry foyer is a white marble living room with a wet bar. A media room is the control center for a state-of-the art professional sound system and an eight-foot screen projector (and we definitely can see this room being used to plot nefarious dealings).
There’s more marble in the new full eat-in kitchen and family room, and a 12-seat dining room is ready for entertaining.
Bedrooms are generously sized with high ceilings, more than enough closet space (even for a glamorous young actress and narcissistic Italian swindler) and en suite baths. Building amenities (available to renters gratis) include a 24-hour doorman and concierge, elevator operators, a gym and valet parking. The building is among the city’s first condominiums and the city’s first all-glass tower.
And as far as that story about Ari Onassis being a past resident, Mr. Onassis was the developer of the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill-designed building back in 1976, so you could say all of the apartments belonged to him at one time and not be telling an untruth. In addition to Onassis, (whose family did, in fact live in the building), Halston‘s showroom was here as well, bringing a star-studded roster of party guests like Liza Minelli, Carol Channing and Martin Scorsese. The building’s fashion legacy continues: Recently “Gucci granddaughters” Alessandra and Allegra Gucci listed a penthouse for $45 million.
This infamous apartment is available for short term and long term lease.
[641 Fifth Avenue, #46/47C by Alexander Bank, Leonard Steinberg and Hervé Senequier for Compass]
[At CityRealty]
RELATED:
- Anne Hathaway Buys $2.55M Upper West Side Co-op
- Anne Hathaway Puts DUMBO Clocktower Loft Back on the Market for $4.25 Million
- Gucci Granddaughters List Mod Midtown Penthouse for $45M
Images courtesy of Compass.
