Real Estate Trends

ZIP Codes of the Super Rich. 10013 A.K.A. Tribeca comes in 9th with a median home value of $2,824,000, according to Zillow. [CityLab] Stuy Town can’t seem to escape litigation. Stuy Town’s lenders say they are being cheated out of hundreds of millions of dollars in the CWCaptial and Wells Fargo takeover of the 11,000-unit […]

Real Estate Trends

July 3, 2014

Former Bear Sterns Exec Richard Harriton’s Belaire Penthouse Sells for $8.7 Million

White collar defense lawyer Thomas J. Kavaler and his wife Loretta Preska have just purchased Richard Harriton’s Belaire Condominium penthouse, according to city records. The stunning apartment went on the market earlier this year, asking $9.2 million, but Harriton gave the couple a $500k discount, possibly after realizing that it never hurts to have a good defense lawyer on your side.
Take a look inside this splendid penthouse here

July 2, 2014

Real Estate Wire: The Priciest Celebrity Homes in NYC; Developer Larry Silverstein’s Mega-Sized New Cause

Today's real estate news highlights: JDS is gearing up to build two luxury residential towers on the East Side on a $390M formerly owned by ConEd. [The Real Deal] What goes around comes back around right back into your real estate portfolio. Stephen Schwarzman’s Blackstone Group is buying the Park Avenue Tower, which it briefly owned in 2007. The property was flipped and sold it to Harry Macklowe for $625M. Blackstone just bought it back for $750M. [The Real Deal] The most expensive celebrity homes in NYC. Who has the most covetable pad in Manhattan? [Business Insider] Bushwick goes upscale with its gentrification. A 7-story building with valet parking may be coming to the nabe. [DNA Info] 'Jersey Boy' Bob Gaudio wants $6M for his San Remo apartment. Ohhhh what a deal? [Curbed] 50 West Street lists its units with condos starting at $1.615M [Curbed] For NY's tallest towers, the current rules require that they have mostly commercial space. Developer Larry Silverstein is championing for a change and wants that mix to favor far more lucrative residential space. [Crain's] The magazine everyone loves to hate continues to expand their media empire. Vice is investing $20M to renovate a 60,000-square-foot building on South Second Street and Kent Avenue, which will house its production facilities and a broadcasting station. [Crain's] Manhattan apartment inventory is at a low and the prices are up in the 2nd quarter. Read our brief after the break for all the details. Hugh Jackman in his luxurious 11,000 sq ft home (left); Larry Silverstein (right)
The 2nd quarter results here

Real Estate Trends

July 2, 2014

Former Warner Music Co-Chairman Michael Fleisher Sells Brooklyn Heights Town Home for $6.4M

Wayfair CFO and apparent fan of extramarital endeavors, Michael Fleisher has sold his Brooklyn Heights town home, and for 6.4 million according to city records. The former Warner Music co-chairman listed the home at 273 Hicks Street five months ago with Corcoran agents James Cornell and Leslie Marshall, asking a staggering $6.95 million. After two months, he reduced the asking price to $6.495 million before finally settling in at a sale price of $6.4 million.
Take a look inside the Brooklyn Heights Beauty here

July 2, 2014

Demolition Permits Filed at 101 Murray – The Site of Downtown Manhattan’s Future Tallest Condo

By Ondel Hylton

Demolition permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings for the tallest condominium building south of 'Billionaires' Row.' The approximately 950-foot tower revealed by real-estate blogger YIMBY last month will house 129 condos within a dramatic champagne flute-like design by the architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. Tentatively named 101 TriBeCa, the uppermost floorplates increase in size to take greater advantage of views uptown and towards the river that most likely will remain unobstructed years to come due to restrictive zoning in TriBeCa and Battery Park City.
more on the new tower here

July 1, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Inside the Building Where Leo DiCaprio Will Live; And the Newest ‘Tallest Tower in NYC’ Is…

Today’s real estate news highlights all in one place: Here we go again… In the race to build the biggest of them all, a new Silverstein property slated for the far West Side could become the largest residential tower in New York. [The Real Deal] Brooklyn prices continue to climb. Reports show that co-op prices […]

Real Estate Trends

July 1, 2014

$3.45 Million West Village Loft Accented with Glazed Glass Sells for Asking

The sprawling 3,200-square-foot loft at 377 West 11th Street has just sold for asking, according to city records. Apartment 1A is currently configured as a 3BR/2BA loft, but one of the bedrooms can be a guest bedroom or study, depending on what the new owner desires. The $3.45 million airy loft is accented by glazed glass throughout, making for an even more light-filled space. This architect-designed co-op doesn’t do anything halfway, with a spectacular foyer greeting you and ushering you into a living/dining room with 15-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, and custom bookshelves. And we’re not talking just a few books, here. Get out your library card because these bookshelves have their own second story.
Want more? Look here

July 1, 2014

Movie Producer’s Brendan Coburn-Designed Williamsburg Home Sells for $3 Million

Producer Jason Sosnoff--who has worked on such films as Analyze This, The Good Shephard, and You Don’t Know Jack—has just sold his Williamsburg town home for $2.95 million, according to city records. Not only is this single family home at 154 Wythe Avenue a rare find in a neighborhood characterized by warehouse remodels, it also features three floors, a finished basement, a landscaped garden and a rooftop deck. Sosnoff had the 4BR/2.5BA townhouse redesigned by CWB Architect’s Brendan Coburn, who said, “let there be light” and–oh wait, was that another story?
Take a look inside the remodel here

July 1, 2014

The Air Up There: New Map Shows Untapped Development Potential of Every Manhattan Property

By Stephanie Hoina

When Extell Development, Hines and JDS Development Group tapped into air space along West 57th Street to push their projects to well above 1,000 feet, preservationist groups were up in the arms. Their outrage prompted The Municipal Art Society, a non-profit whose mission is to “fight for intelligent urban design, planning and preservation through education, dialogue and advocacy”, to create a new map showing just how much untapped development potential exists in the square footage above every property in Manhattan.
More on how the map was developed

If at First You Don’t Succeed… Anne Hathaway Sells DUMBO Clocktower Loft the Second Time Around

After re-listing her DUMBO digs for the second time in early June, Anne Hathaway has found a buyer for her Clocktower loft, last priced at $4.25 million. Hathaway snagged the 2BR/3.5BA unit at 1 Main Street with then-fiancé Adam Shulman in February 2013 for $4.1 million, but reportedly never moved in, instead using the 2,592-square-foot apartment as an extremely oversized closet. The unit first hit the market in September 2013, but was removed shortly thereafter in December. The buyer hasn't yet been identified, but he or she will certainly not be disappointed with the giant master suite, library and media room, corner layout, and spectacular views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Manhattan skyline.
Get All of the A-list details this way

June 30, 2014

From Gilded Movie House to University Gym: Uncovering the Past of the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre

We're thinking of becoming local college basketball fans — not necessarily because we love the sport, but because we're dying to get inside this Long Island University gymnasium that was once the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. Commissioned in 1928 by Paramount Pictures, with a sister theatre in Times Square, this regal venue was the largest movie theatre in Brooklyn, second largest in the city, and the first theatre designed for talking pictures. Noted theatre architects Rapp and Rapp designed the rococo-style palace with 4,084 burgundy velvet seats, a ceiling painted with clouds, a 60-foot stage curtain decorated with satin-embroidered pheasants, huge chandeliers, and tiered fountains filled with goldfish. Movie houses struggled during the depression years, and by 1936 the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre had lost $1.5 million since opening. In 1950 Long Island University purchased the building, and twelve years later they renovated the auditorium as their gymnasium keeping the original, ornate details of the space intact. The LIU Blackbirds played their first game in 1963, and in 1975 a second renovation occurred thanks to funding from local businesses.
We uncover the storied past of this grand movie palace

June 30, 2014

Real Estate Wire: NYC Real Estate Is the New Swiss Bank Account; SHoP to Design Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower

Today’s real estate highlights in one digestible bite: Kim and Kanye leaving Cali? The pair were spotted penthouse shopping downtown. One of their stops included this stunner at 215 Sullivan Street. [NYP] Jeff Koons got the OK to build a mega-mansion at 11 and 13 E. 67th Street. Koons’ new pad will measure 19,325 square feet and Peter […]

Real Estate Trends

June 27, 2014

$2.1M Sale at 100 Rugby Road Is Record-Breaker for Prospect Park South

An adorable, historic, turn-of-the-century home modeled after a Swiss chalet has just sold for a record-breaking $2.1 million in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park South. Up until this point, the most expensive sale in the neighborhood was a $2 million sale from last year; however, records confirm that the 7BR/3.5BA home at 100 Rugby Road has edged out the competition by $100K.
Find out more about this historic record-breaker here

June 26, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Mapping All of Downtown Brooklyn’s Apartments; Park Slopers Love Their Parking Garages

Today’s residential real estate news in one digestible bite: Park Slopers would rather have a parking garage than a new luxury condo in their ‘hood. The typically crunchy locals are saying the 800 Union Street garage is “essential to the neighborhood”. [NYDN] Stern’s 82-story downtown hotel and residential condo tower is one-third constructed; while the […]

Real Estate Trends

June 26, 2014

Iconic Dean & Deluca Loft Purchased by Vidal Sassoon’s Widow

Ready for a sale where the space is just as famous as the people involved? We’ve got one for you. This iconic loft at 133 Wooster Street has been featured in the New York Times and was the very spot where the Dean & DeLuca cookbook was created. Well, how did this apartment get to be so special? Because it’s owned by Dean & Deluca co-founder Jack Ceglic.
But it gets even more interesting after the jump

June 25, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Lantern-Style High-Rise One Step Closer to Reality; Jonathan Safran Foer Wants $13M for His Brooklyn Home

Today’s residential real estate news highlights in one digestible bite: Black House just closed on the $62M Hudson Yards site needed for Archilier Architecture’s lantern-like mixed-use tower. [TRD] A rare luxury residential building in Boerum Hill is on the sales block and could garner well over $50M. [NYP] Who says writers don’t make money? Author Jonathan […]

Real Estate Trends

June 24, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Bed Stuy Getting 50 New Condos; Brooklyn’s Tallest Building Killing It in Sales

We roundup today’s residential real estate news highlights for one digestible bite: Bed Stuy is getting a brand new 10-story mixed-use building complete with 50 apartments [Brownstoner] NYC gets a rent hike! Of 1%… The lowest ever recorded [New York Post] South Slope’s newest condo development just placed its units on the market. The cheapest […]

Real Estate Trends

June 24, 2014

Simon Cowell Drops $11 Million on Lenox Hill Pad for His New Family

After months of house hunting, Simon Cowell has found a home for his new family. According to the NY Post, the TV mogul just put down $10.85 million on a nest at 151 East 78th Street for his girlfriend Lauren Silverman and their love child. The family will now call the Peter Pennoyer-designed condominium home; and while the Post isn’t entirely sure which unit the TV mogul purchased for his best friend’s ex-wife (no judgment here), they’re guessing it was the three-bedroom penthouse.
Want to know more about the penthouse? Find out here

June 24, 2014

Academic Historian Philip Bobbit Sells his Scholarly Beekman Penthouse for $1.3 Million

With four degrees from three ivy league universities, Philip Bobbit might be expected to live in a house lined with bookshelves and filled with piles of marked-up papers. The author, academic, historian, and public servant, however, kept a pristine space with virtually no clutter to be seen. But there is a scholarly feel to the 2BR/2BA apartment with its traditional design, formal artwork, and dignified furniture. Despite its studious charm, Bobbit has sold PH1606 at 575 Park Avenue, known as the Beekman, for $1.325 million. If the dramatic décor of the penthouse wasn't enough to entice the buyer, it also features north, east, and south exposures, as well as two custom, operable glass NanaWalls that open onto a gorgeous 45-foot-long outdoor terrace, creating an indoor/outdoor oasis.
Continue your penthouse education ahead

June 23, 2014

Deepak Chopra Finally Unloads Park Imperial Pad for $3.5 Million

Deepak Chopra has finally been able to free himself of the mediocre, non-wellness oriented piece of real estate he once called home. After spending $14.5 million on a Greenwich Village apartment built for a hypochondriac – the space has antimicrobial coating on high-touch surfaces and EMF shielding to protect residents from electromagnetic fields – he has finally managed to get rid of the germ-soaked two-bedroom unit his lesser-evolved self once appreciated.
Take a look inside the Park Imperial Pad here

June 19, 2014

Orlando Bloom Purchases Tribeca Loft for $4.88 Million

Orlando Bloom just got a lot closer to Taylor Swift, and she didn’t even have to write a break-up song about him. The Lord of the Rings star has just purchased a $4.88 million three-bedroom loft at 155 Franklin Street, in the building formerly known as the Sugarloaf Warehouse. (We figure that sentence would make Prince proud.) We’re guessing this building has a certain appeal to hobbit acquaintances as the penthouse, now home to Swift, was formerly home to director Peter Jackson. So, it’s the hobbit gift that keeps on giving. According to the New York Post, the star was drawn to the loft’s “cast-iron columns, exposed brick walls, open chef’s kitchen and wood-beamed ceilings”. We would be too.
Take a look inside the hobbit star's Sugarloaf loft here

June 19, 2014

Brownstone of Park Slope’s “Original Gentrifiers” Sells for $3 Million

When Evelyn and Everett Ortner bought their Park Slope brownstone at 272 Berkeley Place in 1963 for $32,000 they probably never imaged it would sell 50 years later for over $3 million. But it was their own historically sensitive and forward-looking vision that helped revitalize the area and make it a much-sought-after Brooklyn neighborhood. The Ortners moved to Park Slope when brownstones were unfashionable and the rich turned their noses down at the area. They convinced their friends to also buy brownstones in the neighborhood. Evelyn was an interior designer specializing in period interiors, and the couple meticulously restored their home down to every last historic detail. After a 25th anniversary trip to France, where they were inspired by local preservationists working to conserve a crumbling castle in Normandy, Mr. and Mrs. Ortner dedicated themselves to historic preservation efforts in Park Slope until their deaths in 2006 and 2012.
See the results of the couple's tireless passion

June 18, 2014

City Approves $3 Million Streetscaping Plan for Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District