Celebrities

December 9, 2016

Rent model Erin Heatherton’s rustic-chic West Village condo for $15K/month

Back in October Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret model—and onetime Leonardo DiCaprio arm candy—Erin Heatherton put her renovated 1,345 square-foot, two-bedroom Village condo at 1 Morton Square on the market for $2.85 million; we don't know if her thorny relationship with the building's condo board has had anything to do with it, but the two-bedroom apartment's rustic-chic interiors like exposed beams, stacked wood in the kitchen and stunning La Cornue range, plus a massive custom walk-in closet, have not yet found the model buyer: The apartment is now on the rental market for $15,000.
Take the tour
December 8, 2016

Colonial Bronxville mansion built by General George Custer’s widow hits the market for $5M

After General George Custer perished in Little Big Horn in 1876 (Custer's Last Stand), his widow Elizabeth Bacon Custer moved to New York amid her quest to salvage her late husband's legacy through her three books, "Tenting on the Plains," "Boots and Saddles," and "Following the Guidon." In 1902, after attainting recognition and financial success through her writing, Elizabeth commissioned a massive Colonial-style home in Bronxville. Located in the high-end Lawrence Park neighborhood, the landmarked mansion boasts six period fireplaces, seven bedrooms, turreted rooms, "whimsical nooks and crannies," a large wine cellar, and landscaped gardens surrounding stone terraces and pathways.
Tour the historic home
December 7, 2016

Congress will only cover $7M of NYC’s $35M Trump security bill

Just two days after Mayor de Blasio formally requested $35 million in federal funding to cover security at Trump Tower for the 73 days from the November 8th election to inauguration day on January 20th, republicans in Congress decided to earmark a mere $7 million towards protecting the President Elect while he's in the Big Apple. Of the pending decision, the Mayor said, "NYC taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for 80 percent of the national bill to protect Trump Tower. DC must step up to pay us back what we’re owed," reports the Post.
The full scoop
December 6, 2016

‘Tonight Show’ announcer and ‘SNL’ writer Steve Higgins buys $1.8M classic UWS co-op

Steve Higgins, announcer of "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and SNL writer and producer, and his wife Ellen have dropped $1,797,000 on a traditional Upper West Side co-op according to recent city records. Though the listing says it'll need a renovation, the two-bedroom, pre-war apartment at 131 Riverside Drive has the coveted bones of a classic six--a large entry foyer, handsome fireplace mantle, 9' 10" ceilings, and attractive crown and picture moldings.
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December 6, 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio loses $2 million on sale of his eco-friendly Greenwich Village apartment

A $2 million real estate loss sounds like quite the hit, but to environmental activist and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, whose net worth is $217 million, it probably won't make too big of a dent. Back in 2014, he dropped $10 million on a three-bedroom Greenwich Village condo in The Delos, an uber eco-friendly building that boasts vitamin C-infused showers, purified air and water, in-duct aromatherapy, and posture-supporting flooring. He rarely resided there (he owns another environmentally conscious apartment in Battery Park City), but has been renting the apartment for $25,000 a month since March 2015 to Bill Clinton's economic policy advisor Jonathan Orszag. Now the Observer reports that the apartment has sold to an LLC for $8 million.
See the whole spread
December 5, 2016

De Blasio asks feds for $35M to cover 73 days of Trump Tower security

White House North, Dump Tower--call it what you will, but Trump Tower has been causing a major headache for the city ever since the President Elect announced that he hopes to spend weekends in his penthouse at the Midtown tower and that wife Melania and son Barron will continue to reside there during his presidency. Initial estimates put the cost of protecting the building at $1 million a day, but after City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick launched a petition last week demanding that the federal government cover these costs, Mayor de Blasio has officially asked for a total of "$35 million to cover the 73 days stretching from the election on Nov. 8 to Jan. 20, inauguration day," reports the Post, a lesser amount of roughly $480,000 a day.
More details ahead
December 2, 2016

Colin Kaepernick scores $3.2 million pad in Tribeca’s luxury One York

Mansion Global reports that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who made national headlines and became a campaign topic when he chose not to stand during the National Anthem, dropped $3.21 million on a luxury condo at One York in Tribeca. The 29-year-old NFL player recently listed his San Jose mansion for $2.895 million, igniting rumors that he'll leave the team after this season. The sale in New York may add further fuel to the fire, but it actually closed in July through a family trust, prior to his August sit-ins.
See the apartment here
December 2, 2016

Jemima Kirke’s dad, ‘Bad Company’ Drummer Simon Kirke, buys $1.3M Gramercy co-op

English drummer Simon Kirke, of Free and Bad Company and father to "Girls" actress Jemima Kirke, sold his Hamptons beach cottage for almost $1.4 million over the summer, and it looks like he's used those earnings to buy a Manhattan home. Though he allegedly toured a $1.7 million spread at the famed Dakota in August, the Observer reports that Kirke spent of $1.3 million on a corner co-op at 201 East 17th Street in Gramercy.
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December 2, 2016

Officials launch petition to have federal government pay for Trump Tower security, not New Yorkers

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick won't have New York City shafted with the bill for “White House North.” The pair have launched a petition demanding that the federal government pony up whatever cash is needed to keep Trump Tower secure during the president-elect's term of office. As 6sqft previously reported, Trump hopes to spend weekends and even some weeknights at the Midtown tower over the next four years, particularly as wife Melania will stay put until son Barron finishes school—and more simply because Trump likes waking up in his own bed. It has been estimated that turning Trump Tower into a 24/7 armed fortress will cost New York City taxpayers $1 million a day, and the total bill over the president-elect's four-year term could swell beyond $1 billion.
more details here
December 1, 2016

Michael Bloomberg’s daughter looking to sell Tribeca loft for $3.5 million

Though Emma Bloomberg–daughter of former mayor Mike Bloomberg–may be trying to patch up her relationship with Donald Trump, she's looking to part ways with the sprawling loft at 62 Beach Street that she and husband Christopher Frissora bought for $2.45 million in 2007. And though it's certainly no little pink house, John Cougar Mellencamp was among the interested parties eyeing the two-bedroom 1,528 square-foot home, currently on the market for $3.5 million, according to the New York Post. The rocker recently split from Christie Brinkley after a year of dating, and we can't think of a better post-breakup man-cave.
Another day, another Tribeca loft fit for a celebrity
December 1, 2016

Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel lists East Village penthouse for $6,200/month

Victoria’s Secret beauty Candice Swanepoel may be this year's eighth highest paid model, but her East Village apartment doesn't scream dollar signs. The rather standard, modern condo at 311 East 11th Street has two bedrooms, a balcony, and a corner penthouse location, and it's available for rent for $6,200 a month, reports the Post. The South African supermodel and her boyfriend, Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli, welcomed their son in October, so perhaps they're looking for some extra room.
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November 28, 2016

Taxpayers could be footing $3M annual bill to move Secret Service into Trump Tower

Plans are underway to turn what the New York Times calls “White House North” into an armed bunker as the president-elect’s family defers D.C.. As 6sqft reported last week, Donald Trump has said he'd like his family to remain in Trump Tower, though the gilded Fifth Avenue fortress that Trump, wife Melania and son Barron call home is particularly difficult to secure. The round-the-clock protection the family has been receiving from the NYPD has come at a cost to the city of over $1 million a day. Now, the New York Post reports that the Secret Service is in talks with the Trump Organization over plans to occupy two floors of the 68-story tower. It's standard policy for the federal agency to provide full protection for every president at their various homes–it cost around $2 million a year for the U.S. Coast Guard to protect George H. W. Bush’s estate in Kennebunkport, Maine during his presidency, for example. But in this instance taxpayers would be paying the incoming president's own company for the space in a lease deal which could cost more than $3 million a year.
Wait, what??
November 23, 2016

‘Sex and the City’ Writer Candace Bushnell lists Victorian farmhouse in Connecticut for $1.4M

Though she created a vision of Manhattan that made an entire generation want to move to the big city and sip cosmos, "Sex and the City" writer Candace Bushnell also has experience in a more laid-back country lifestyle. The Journal recently toured her historic Victorian farmhouse in Roxbury, Connecticut, which is currently listed for $1.365 million. Bushnell said she's an old house lover who grew up antiquing, so when she saw the circa 1830 home in 2005, she couldn't help spending $661,500 on it, even though she admits she "could barely afford it." Clearly a good investment, the three-acre property has an apple orchard, barn, salt water pool, and pool house, as well as original moldings and floorboards.
See the entire property
November 23, 2016

Bethenny Frankel slaps real estate attorney with a $2M lawsuit over former Tribeca loft

Earlier this fall, Skinny Girl Bethenny Frankel sold her sprawling Tribeca loft in just one day for its asking price of $6.95 million. This came after three+ years of the apartment being entangled in her very public divorce from Jason Hoppy. At the time of the sale, she expressed her relief: "I’m glad that the real-estate gods were looking out for me saying, ‘let’s give her a break.’" But that break was short lived, as the loft once again has the "Real Housewife" in the courtroom. Page Six reports that Frankel is suing a real estate attorney for $2 million over "breach of contract, fraud and notary misconduct" when he established a trust in 2011 for the couple to make the $5 million purchase at 195 Hudson Street, making both parties co-owners when it was only supposed to be her since she allegedly footed the bill.
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November 22, 2016

Betsey Johnson unloads her pretty pink Upper East Side condo for $1.8M

Iconoclastic designer Betsey Johnson has found a buyer for her Upper East Side condo at 30 East 85th Street. The zany fashionista with a passion for pink purchased the 850-square-foot pad at the top of the market in 2008 for $1.85 million and listed it for $2.25 million in May. With no takers, the price was chopped to $1.8M in October, and the home recently went into contract according to the New York Observer.
See more of the girly-glam pad
November 22, 2016

It costs NYC more than $1M a day to protect Donald Trump

Though part of Fifth Avenue will remain open in front of Trump Tower, the overall logistics of securing the area surrounding the building are still a bit of a nightmare for the NYPD and Secret Service, who must deal with traffic snarls, protests, security checkpoints, and angry pedestrians. If this wasn't enough of a cause for concern, CNN Money reports that the cost of protecting Donald Trump is more than $1 million a day, a figure that won't decrease any time soon since the president elect claims he'll spend weekends in his penthouse and Melania and Barron will continue to live there until the end of the school year. Plus, all of Trump's adult children and grandchildren live in the city and are therefore entitled to Secret Service protection.
More details
November 22, 2016

The Halston House, a former party spot of Andy Warhol, gets a price chop to $28M

A piece of New York City history has become (just slightly) more affordable to own yourself. The mid-century home at 101 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side, known as the Halston House, is one of only three residences in Manhattan designed by famed architect Paul Rudolph. Not only is the architecture iconic, but after designer Halston moved in in 1974, he spent the next 15 years hosting parties attended by the likes of Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger. The former carriage house turned party destination turned luxury residence first hit the market for $40 million last year when it was said that contemporary art dealer Jeffrey Deitch was “angling” to make a deal. It must not have worked out, because it's back on the market at a discount, asking $28 million.
Hear more about this iconic home
November 21, 2016

‘Monk’ actor Tony Shalhoub drops $4M on classic Upper West Side co-op

Emmy Award-winning actor Tony Shalhoub of "Monk" fame, along with wife Brooke Adams, has picked up a $3,995,000 Upper West Side co-op, according to LLNYC. The pre-war pad at 15 West 81st Street boats a 60-foot-wide terrace with "side views" of Central Park and two master suites, as well as historic details like herringbone oak floors, nine-foot beamed ceilings, crown and base moldings, and original Emery Roth-designed doorknobs and hardware.
See more of the apartment
November 21, 2016

Fifth Avenue shutdown won’t happen even though Trump’s family will stay put

Between swarms of protestors outside the building and Donald Trump's claims that he'll spend weekends at his penthouse, the NYPD has spent the last week mulling a shutdown of Fifth Avenue in and around Trump Tower. And even though Melania and ten-year-old Barron will remain in the 24-karat gold-covered triplex instead of moving to the White House, Mayor de Blasio announced that the stretch of the Avenue in front of the building will remain open to vehicular traffic, adding that, "We have never had a situation where the president of the United States would be here on such a regular basis. But the N.Y.P.D. is up to the challenge, and the City of New York is up to the challenge."
And it's quite the challenge
November 18, 2016

UES studio Andy Warhol rented for $150/month sells for $10 million

In addition to being one of the world's most iconic artists, Andy Warhol appears to have had the Midas touch for real estate. In 2013, Warhol's one-time townhouse on Lexington Avenue sold $5.5 million—he paid just $60,000 for it in 1959; then last October, the artist's former Montauk compound, which he paid just $225,000 for in 1972, sold for a whopping $50 million; and now, as The Real Deal reports, the ramshackle Upper East Side studio he rented for paltry $150 a month has just traded hands for an incredible $9.9 million.
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November 17, 2016

Meatpacking condo once home to Glenn Beck, Jason Reitman, and Trey Parker lists for $5M

Don't worry, this interesting trio of notables didn't live in this Meatpacking District condo at the same time. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker lived in the loft-style, three-bedroom spread at the Porter House during the initial run of his Tony-winning Broadway show "Book of Mormon," according to the Post, who also note that Academy Award-winning director Jason Batemen, best known for "Juno" and "Up in the Air," as well as uber-conservative political commentator Glenn Beck have called this apartment home. And it's currently on the market for $4.9 million or as a $13,900/month rental.
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November 16, 2016

Starchitect Frank Gehry may self-exile to France now that Trump’s been elected

Outspoken starchitect Frank Gehry is taking the whole "I'm moving if Trump wins" thing quite literally. The Canadian-born, LA-based architect told French paper La Croix just before the election that President Francois Hollande assured him he could go into exile in France if Trump became president. But as ArtNet points out, a possible relocation may have more to do with a personal beef than political leanings. In 2010, Gehry's 8 Spruce Street surpassed Trump World Tower as the city's tallest residential building, and we know how feisty the Donald gets when it comes to size...
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November 16, 2016

VIDEO: Go inside Donald Trump’s personal office in Trump Tower

Donald Trump has already made it clear that he hopes to ditch convention and spend weekends in his Trump Tower penthouse during his presidency (despite the unprecedented traffic snarls and security issues it'll cause). In addition to sleeping in his own bed, this will allow him to work out of his personal office. The 26th floor space is covered in awards, sports memorabilia, family photos, and an unsurprisingly narcissistic collection of magazines with yours truly on the cover. Business Insider uncovered two videos from last year--one from the Washington Post, one from the Wall Street Journal--where Trump provided tours of the office, and it looks like our next president may be working on international politics with one of Shaquille O'Neal's sneakers sitting next to him.
Watch both videos here
November 15, 2016

Brooke Shields’s former Soho loft with 27 over-sized windows lists for $4.55M

If they can manage a sale, it will be quite a windfall for the owners of Brooke Shields's former spread at 458 Broadway. The full floor co-op Shields shed in 2012 has just hit the market for $4.55 million, a price tag that is higher than the $3.05 million that was originally paid for it four years ago. While the jump may be difficult to swallow, the apartment itself is far more palatable.
have a closer look inside