Celebrities

Liberal commentator Keith Olbermann listed his Trump Palace condo on the Upper East Side for $3.9 million in April, publicly citing his opposition to the presidential candidate. Even though he took a loss on the sale (it went through for $3.8 million in July, but he bought it for $4.2 million in 2007), he couldn't hide his relief: "I feel 20 pounds lighter since I left… If they had changed the name of it to something more positive like Ebola Palace I would have happily stayed." Now, just a month after Olbermann's tweet that he was "FREEEEEEEEE!" and "got out with 90% of my money and 100% of my soul!" the 40th floor spread is back on the market for $3.9 million. As LLNYC reports, the buyer was Syrian businessman Albert Nasser, who has very different reasons for unloading the condo.
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September 1, 2016

Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown lists elegant Sutton Place triplex for $9.75M

By Diane Pham

As you would expect from a former editor of one of the world's most recognized lifestyle magazines, Tina Brown has for the last 20 years found refuge in a spectacular home in an equally spectacular building at 447 East 57th Street. But now the media mogul, who also served as an editor at The New Yorker and founded The Daily Beast, and her journalist husband Harold Evans, who himself boasts quite a resume having held top positions at the likes of U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic, have listed their elegant Sutton Place abode for $9.75M. According to the listing, the triplex comes with five bedrooms, 5.5 baths and an incredible 19'x64' private walled-in garden. But what might be the most alluring feature of this maisonette is that it's more than once served as the backdrop for riveting conversations (and surely some heated arguments) with names like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger and Angelina Jolie. As Brown so breezily told the Journal, “Yes, we love to entertain our friends, but there is always content to the evening, where we try to bring exposure for someone that has something incredible.”
Have a closer look inside this special home

September 1, 2016

Knicks’ new star player Joakim Noah buys a $6M Chelsea penthouse with huge terrace

Joakim Noah--NBA All Star, philanthropist, social activist, and noted free-spirit--signed with the Knicks in June for $18 million a year after spending nine years with the Chicago Bulls. Ahead of his debut season in New York, Noah has scooped up a $5.8 million Chelsea penthouse with an appropriately tricked-out entertaining terrace, reports the Post. The three-bedroom spread at 555 West 23rd Street not only has 2,300 square feet of impeccable indoor space, but the 2,000 square feet of outdoor space boasts a built-in hot tub, gas grill and wet bar, pergola, self-watering planters, and surround sound.
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August 31, 2016

Kim and Kanye now enjoying a $30M Tribeca pad for $0, courtesy of Airbnb

If you needed any more proof that Kim Kardashian is the Queen of Social Media, look no further than her latest Instagram post where she can be seen lounging on the cream couch of a $30 million Tribeca penthouse—the spread she and hubby Kanye will be living in for free through October. As 6sqft previously reported, the couple was in talks with Airbnb the last few months for a lavish pad that would be provided to them at no monetary cost, so long as Kim posted something on one of her many social media accounts about it. And lo and behold, as The Post first reports, Kim sealed the deal yesterday on Instagram with a sultry shot captioned with “Just checked into our NYC penthouse. Thanks @airbnb for the gift of our home away from home.”
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August 29, 2016

Facebook co-founder Sean Parker buys three Greenwich Village townhouses to create mega-mansion

There must be something about the Village and Facebook that go together. Back in January, the social media company's co-founder Chris Hughes sold his Soho loft for $8.5 million and relocated to a $23.5 million West Village townhouse. And now the Post reports that the other founding partner, Sean Parker, who also created Napster, has acquired three homes along West 10th Street, where he plans to create one big mega-mansion.
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August 25, 2016

Six months after $6M buy, supermodel Irina Shayk lists 150 Charles condo as a $20,000 rental

When Sports Illustrated supermodel Irina Shayk bought a $6 million condo at celebrity favorite 150 Charles Street back in February, it was rumored that she'd be shacking up there with boyfriend Bradley Cooper. But it looks like she was getting in on the investment game; only six months later she's put the two-bedroom spread on the rental market for $20,000 a month. The Observer reports that Shayk never even moved in to the West Village building, where Ben Stiller, Jon Bon Jovi, and fashion photographer Steven Klein have also purchased units. This could be because she's still living at her other West Village condo at 166 Perry Street, which she listed last December for $4 million. Regardless, the new tenant of this sleek abode will be in good company.
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August 23, 2016

Donald Trump quintuples rent on his own campaign office now that he’s seeing donations

Now that he's finally raking in funds from donors as opposed to cheaply self-funding his own campaign, Donald Trump is loosening the purse strings. The first order of business comes at his very own Trump Tower campaign headquarters, where he's nearly quintupled the monthly rent. According to a Huffington Post review of Federal Election Commission filings, his campaign was paying $35,458 a month from last summer until up March. But in July, when the donations started coming in, that skyrocketed to $169,758. This came with a reduction of paid employees and consultants, from 197 to 172.
What's going on?

Celebrities

August 22, 2016

Local writer raising $150,000 to save Langston Hughes’ $3M Harlem townhouse

Prolific writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes lived at 20 East 127th Street, an 1896 brownstone, in the 1950s and '60s, until he passed away in 1967. As Curbed notes, in more recent years, the ivy-covered, landmarked home has been plagued by lawsuits over its use and maintenance. The current owner listed it for $1.2 million in 2009, but it didn't sell even after the price was lowered in 2010. Today, it's estimated to be worth more than $3 million, though it's sitting vacant with its paint chipping. But local writer Renee Watson has big plans for the house that don't involve a multi-million-dollar sale that could potentially gut the interior, where Hughes' typewriter still sits on a shelf. CNN Money reports that she's launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 to rent the home, renovate it, and turn it into a cultural center for Harlem-based artists.
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Celebrities

August 22, 2016

MAP: Find out what modern movies have been filmed on your street

By Diane Pham

Did you know that parts of "The Wolf of Wall Street" were shot in Fort Greene? Or that several stretches of Williamsburg appear in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"? Filmed in NYC culls three years of NYC movie filming permits and funnels them into an interactive—and quite entertaining—map that's sure to get even the most jaded New Yorker "oh huh, that's cool" at least once. Created by Metrocosm, the map highlights an impressive 17,241 filming locations and 517 movies, a mix of blockbusters and B-movies among them.
more on the map here

Celebrities

Gawker founder Nick Denton can’t pay mortgage on Soho condo, needs renter approved

If you visit Gawker.com today, you'll see a final farewell that simply says "F— It," leading up to Univision's takeover of the media company later this month. But Gawker Media founder Nick Denton isn't so quick to throw in the towel in every aspect of his struggling empire; according to the Post, he's found a renter for who will fork over $12,500 a month for his $4.2 million Soho condo (in the same building where Kelly Ripa sold her penthouse at a $4.5 million discount). After publishing a sex video of him, Gawker was notoriously sued by Hulk Hogan, who won a $140 million settlement against the company, forcing Denton to file bankruptcy since he's personally liable for $10 million. So in May, he put his apartment at 76 Crosby Street on the market for $15,000 a month, the cost of his monthly mortgage payment that he now can't make, along with $3,400 in condo fees. But in order for the deal to go through, Denton needs a bankruptcy judge to approve the lease.
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August 22, 2016

Scarlett Johansson looks to the Cielo for an Upper East Side rental

Scarlett Johansson, the all-time highest-grossing actress on the planet with movies that have pulled in over $3.3 billion, is reportedly looking for an Upper East Side home for herself, hubby Romain Dauriac and daughter Rose. Among the neighborhood's rental offerings to spark the actress's interest was a three-bedroom corner unit in the Cielo at 450 East 83rd Street, according to the Post. The 21st-floor pad offers enviable views and sunlight through floor-to-ceiling windows.
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August 19, 2016

‘Game of Thrones’ star Michiel Huisman conquers $2.2M Flatiron loft

Dutch actor Michiel Huisman, well-known for his role as rugged lover/fighter Daario Naharis on HBO's "Game of Thrones," has purchased a big, sunny corner loft in the Macintyre Building at 874 Broadway in the Flatiron district for $2.2 million, according to Luxury Listings and city records. Like the character Huisman portrays, the two-level loft is charmingly rough at the edges yet undoubtedly handsome.
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Celebrities

August 19, 2016

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen sell stylish Nolita pad for $4M

It's been 16 months since John Legend and Chrissy Teigen listed their uber-stylish Nolita loft for $4.5 million, and four months since they welcomed their baby daughter Luna into the world, and now the power couple is free to find a new family-friendly home as the Observer reports that their apartment has sold for $3.995 million. The couple purchased the apartment in 2012 for $2.5 million after selling their East Village condo at 52 East 4th Street for $2.7 million. They enlisted Don Stewart of Los Angeles–based firm Desiderata Design to complete the "dark, moody atmosphere," which is an attractive combo of cozy, industrial, and eclectic. Some of the unique design elements, in addition to the requisite piano nook, are a reclaimed wood wall, an Asian-inspired green silk bed spread, and a 19th century gilded leather screen on a bedroom wall.
Ogle more this way

August 18, 2016

‘Late Night’ host Seth Meyers nabs a Greenwich Village co-op for $7.5M

Funnyman Seth Meyers has just scored himself a sprawling duplex spread in Greenwich Village. According to city records released this afternoon, the comedian and his wife Alexi dropped $7.519M on the 3,200-square-foot co-op at 32 Washington Square West, a prewar construction that sits at the northwest corner of the beloved Washington Square Park. According to the listing, the apartment boasts five bedrooms, 4.5 baths, excellent light through its 26 windows, four exposures, two wood burning fireplaces, a chefs kitchen, a supersized living/dining room setup, and much much more. Incidentally, this apartment is no stranger to hosting A-list celebs. The home was previously owned by actress Mary Louise Parker—she sold the spacious pad for $7.75 million in 2013.
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Celebrities

August 18, 2016

Kim and Kanye try to snag $30M Airbnb pad for free

Airbnb certainly doesn't mind giving celebs free lodgings; Kardashian satellites Kylie and Kendall Jenner recently stayed gratis in a Turks and Caicos villa hosted by the home share site in return for posting bikini-ed beach shots on social media, and now according to a report by the Post, Kim K. and hubby Kanye West have been in negotiations with the company to stay for $0 in a big-ticket Manhattan penthouse for several months this fall. A source at Airbnb told Page Six: “The plan would be for Kimye to live there for a few months for free, and Kim will post on social media about the apartment," with Airbnb picking up the tab for the listing.
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Celebrities

August 17, 2016

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber Swap Cute Amagansett Cottage for $5.4M Montauk Beachside Retreat

The hot Hollywood couple may be downsizing as far as the number of bedrooms they'll have, but they’re getting ocean views from everywhere in the house. As 6sqft reported, Watts and Schreiber put their stylish six-bedroom Amagansett cottage on the market for $6 million back in December. Now, 27East reports they’ve purchased a four-bedroom house further out on the Island in boho-trendy Montauk. The 3,600-square-foot home, for which the award-winning actors paid $5.4 million, sits on a half-acre across the street from the beach and abuts a 100-acre nature preserve. Similar to their former retreat, there's a heated gunite pool and pool house, a chef’s kitchen and garage parking.
Take a look inside this elegant beach house

August 16, 2016

Babe Ruth’s Former UWS Apartment Sells to ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Actress

Though this Upper West Side apartment doesn't look like much, it's certainly racking up the celebrity accolades. At the end of his career, from 1929 to 1940, Babe Ruth and his family owned the entire seventh floor at 345 West 88th Street. At the time it boasted 11 rooms, but it's since been divided into two units. One unit, 7B, hit the market for $1,595,000 last August; the other, 7F, listed in February for $1,175,000. According to the Observer, the latter has sold for $1,130,000 to former "How I Met Your Mother" actress Ashley Williams and her husband, producer Neal Dodson.
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August 16, 2016

Harriet the Spy’s $5M Upper East Side Townhouse Finds a Buyer

In May, the Queen Anne-style townhouse said to have inspired the fictional Upper East Side home of "Harriet the Spy" hit the market for the first time in 70 years, asking $4.95 million. And in less than three months it's already entered entered contract, reports Curbed. Author Louise Fitzhugh lived on 85th Street, so it's no surprise that this gorgeous 1880s property at 558 East 87th Street sparked her creative juices. Located on the corner of a quiet and leafy Yorkville block in the Henderson Place Historic District, the 3,000-square-foot stunner overlooks Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park, and the East River, "the perfect setting to get into covert shenanigans, à la Harriet," as 6sqft previously quipped.
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August 15, 2016

Food Network’s Ina Garten Buys Former House & Garden Editor’s Park Avenue Pad for $4.65M

In November 6sqft featured the Upper East Side co-op at 563 Park Avenue listed by Nancy Novogrod, former editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure magazine and Condé Nast’s House & Garden, and her husband, John, noting the just-right decor and roll-up-your-sleeves renovated kitchen. The Observer reports that sleeves will indeed be rolled up in the marble-topped chef's paradise, as Food Network's Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten and her husband, Yale University dean emeritus, Jeffrey, have purchased the two-bedroom home for $4.65 million.
Take another look at the couple's new Park Avenue pied a terre

August 12, 2016

The Real Estate Loopholes That Let Donald Trump Look Penniless on Paper

As chatter surrounding Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's refusal to make his tax returns public grows louder, the New York Times explains what all the fuss is about, pointing out that while he's under no legal obligation to open up the books to public scrutiny, every presidential candidate has chosen to do so since Richard Nixon. Despite the hundreds of millions in gross revenue from his vast real estate holdings, there's a good chance that Trump has paid little–perhaps even zero–federal income tax in past years. The interesting point is that technically the candidate hasn't done anything "wrong," but rather is in the business of doing business, and that business is real estate. The opportunities that real estate can provide for the wealthy to legally avoid forking over the taxes that their incomes would otherwise dictate they pay are numerous, from hiding behind LLCs to swapping real estate purchases to avoid paying taxes.
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August 11, 2016

Sting and Trudie Styler Buying 220 Central Park South Triplex

The NY Post reports that Sting and Trudie Styler are in negotiations to purchase a condo in the Robert A.M. Stern-designed 220 Central Park South. The tantric twosome aren't new to the parkside circuit; they're currently among the significant celebrity contingent at the also-Stern-designed 15 Central Park West, where the pop star purchased a 5,413- square-foot penthouse for $26.5 million in 2008.
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Celebrities

August 10, 2016

Ashton Kutcher Asks Governor Cuomo to Veto Airbnb Regulatory Law

In June, both houses of the NYC legislature passed a bill that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on advertisers of illegal short-term Airbnb rentals. Current state law dictates that an apartment can’t be rented out for less than 30 days if the lease holder isn’t present, and a recent report estimated that 56 percent of the site's 2015 listings fell into this category. Though the law has been this way since 2010, it has yet to be seriously enforced. But ahead of the Governor's January deadline to sign the bill into law, big names in the tech sector, including actor, venture capitalist, and Airbnb investor Ashton Kutcher, are asking Cuomo to veto the bill.
More details ahead

August 10, 2016

Infographic: How Long Would it Take Top Olympians to Scale NYC’s Supertalls?

Michael Phelps took his world record to 21 gold medals last night; Usain Bolt is poised to become the first athlete to win three golds at three Olympics; and Serena Williams (tied with sister Venus) has the most gold medals of any tennis player in the games. To have a little fun with these athletes' stats, CityRealty.com put together this infographic that shows how long it would take the Olympians to sprint, serve, and swim their way to the top of New York City's three tallest planned and built residential buildings -- the Central Park Tower, 111 West 57th Street, and 432 Park Avenue.
Check out the full-size infographic here

August 9, 2016

Apartment in Miles Davis’ Old Upper West Side Townhouse Sells for $500K