Upper West Side

Just a little over a week ago, Bruce Willis and wife Emma Heming Willis put their six-bedroom co-op at 271 Central Park West on the market for $17.75 million. They bought the duplex apartment back in 2015 for $17 million (from Milwaukee Bucks owner Wesley Edens), after Willis unloaded his nearby El Dorado co-op for $13 million. The couple recently decided to scale back since they don't spend enough time in the Upper West Side spread, and lucky for them the unit is already in contract, according to Curbed.
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Photos from 1968 show the Museum of Natural History’s 94-foot blue whale being hung

Photo courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History Library

January 24, 2018

Photos from 1968 show the Museum of Natural History’s 94-foot blue whale being hung

Back in 1968, the staff and contractors at the American Museum of Natural History got to constructing, mounting, and finally hanging the 94-foot fiberglass-and-polyurethane blue whale model that's become an icon of the museum. Though the hulking whale looks like it's been hanging from the Hall of Ocean Life ceilings since the museum's opening, it's actually the second version of the installation. According to Slate, the museum made the decision in the early 1960s to overhaul a paper-mâché model hung in the early 20th century because it looked outdated. The replacement was set to be nothing less than dramatic: a display to "create the illusion of having joined the whale in its own domain," as As Alfred E. Parr, oceanographer and past director of the AMNH, wrote at the time.
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History

Bruce Willis lists striking six-bedroom Central Park West home for $18M

Photo of Bruce Willis via Wikimedia

January 17, 2018

Bruce Willis lists striking six-bedroom Central Park West home for $18M

Actor Bruce Willis and his wife Emma have listed their six-bedroom apartment at 271 Central Park West for $17.75 million. The spacious, 6,000-square-foot apartment boasts 4.5 bathrooms, a library and 150 feet of Central Park footage. According to Mansion Global, the couple decided to sell their apartment, which they first purchased for nearly $17 million in 2015, because they need to spend more time together. Although the duo is leaving Manhattan to possibly relax at their home in Bedford Hills, Willis said he'll keep loving the Uptown neighborhood. "I’ll always be an Upper West Side guy. I’ve been living up here on and off since the ‘70s," he said in a statement.
See the sprawling Central Park space

My 700sqft: News anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter open up their ‘sunny’ Lincoln Square home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Lincoln Square apartment of news anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 16, 2018

My 700sqft: News anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter open up their ‘sunny’ Lincoln Square home

By Dana Schulz

If these two friendly faces look familiar it's because they grace your television screen daily. Jamie Stelter has been NY1's traffic reporter for the past eight years, gaining fame not only for her onscreen rapport with Pat Kiernan but for her naturally bubbly personality (especially important when you go on air at 5am!), and Brian Stelter is a former media reporter for the New York Times and the current senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources" for CNN. And while this might sound like a recipe for one intimidating couple, the Stelters are about as down-to-earth and warm as they come. 6sqft recently visited the couple at their Lincoln Square apartment and saw what a typical afternoon looks like, from putting their adorable eight-month-old daughter Sunny down for a nap to Brian dashing out the door to CNN's nearby offices (and Jamie and Sunny watching him on tv just a few moments later!). We were also treated to a tour of their boho-meets-family-friendly home, which is filled with DIY projects, adorable personal mementos, and a long list of Jamie's stylish finds from her favorite Instagram feeds.
Hang out with Jamie and Brian

January 12, 2018

For $1.15M, this little Upper West Side condo has a private rooftop that’s almost twice its size

If you're dreaming of the Upper West Side, and outdoor space is at the top of your list, you'll want to see this cozy walk-up condo at 105 West 77th Street. You might not even mind that it's only 454 square feet inside. Of course, 11-foot ceilings help, and amazing city views don't hurt either. You're right around the corner from the Museum of Natural History and Central Park, but the best addition by far is a 730-square-foot private roof deck just up a spiral staircase.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

In heated legal battle, condo board says it has the right to remove Trump’s name

Trump Place Apartments courtesy of Nick Normal’s Flickr

January 11, 2018

In heated legal battle, condo board says it has the right to remove Trump’s name

While never especially popular in his hometown, President Donald Trump's approval in New York City dropped even more so after his election. His unpopularity among New Yorkers has taken a toll on his real estate empire: both average sales price and the average price per square footage at the 11 Trump-branded condos fell below the average in this area for the first time ever. And some residents living in condos that bear the president's name have started petitions to remove Trump from the building's exterior. At one 48-story luxury building on the Upper West Side, residents are debating whether or not to remove his name. The condo board at 200 Riverside Boulevard, or "Trump Place," now potentially faces a lawsuit from DJT Holdings, a company owned by Trump, for seeking to remove the name, the New York Post reported.
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Policy

January 9, 2018

Documentary journalist Pamela Hogan lists lovely Central Park West penthouse for $4.4M

This four-bedroom co-op, inside the Central Park West brownstone at 44 West 76th Street, is owned by the documentary filmmaker and journalist Pamela Hogan and her cinematographer husband Jeffrey L. Kimball. Hogan's behind the independent film Looks like Laury Sounds like Laury and was the co-creator of the PBS series Women, War & Peace. She and her husband snatched up the penthouse property in 1996 for $1.2 million, and they've just listed it for $4.375 million. The impressive space--which occupies the upper floors of an 1880s brownstone--boasts walls of windows and incredible light. It's a seamless blend between the historic townhouse and a bright, lofty aesthetic.
It's a triplex with a private terrace

Distinctive Homes

Roberta Flack’s ‘architect ready’ co-op in the Dakota is in contract

Photo of Roberta Flack via Wikimedia

January 8, 2018

Roberta Flack’s ‘architect ready’ co-op in the Dakota is in contract

Roberta Flack's co-op apartment with mirrored walls in the iconic Dakota has finally found a buyer, after being on and off the market since 2015. As the New York Post reported, the unidentified buyer plans to combine the four-time Grammy Award winner's five-room pad with an adjacent apartment, which was allegedly the one-time home of Judy Garland. While the final sale price of the combined package is not known yet, it appears the merge will restore the exact floor plan of one of the Dakota's 65 original units back when the building was finished in 1884. Flack's apartment was last listed for $6.99 million and the co-op next-door was most recently listed for $10 million.
See inside

January 3, 2018

$1.2M Upper West Side co-op comes with potential to design a roof deck

This two-bedroom apartment occupies the top floor of the townhouse at 39 West 87th Street on the Upper West Side. It comes with private, undeveloped roof space accessible through an internal staircase within the apartment--meaning that the owner has a blank slate to design their dream roof deck. The co-op, decked out with historic carved wood and some quirky modern additions, has just been listed for $1.195 million.
Walk through the space

Distinctive Homes

December 29, 2017

Philanthropist’s condo at 15 Central Park West sells for $8.5M under ask

Robert A.M. Stern's 15 Central Park West may be New York City's most expensive condo, but that didn't help financier and philanthropist (and onetime president of the building's board) Jeffrey C. Walker and his wife Suzanne in selling their four-bedroom pad there. They listed the unit for $38 million in March of this year, but it just closed for the considerably lower amount of $29.5 million (The buyer, as public records show, is hidden behind the title "Ciel CPW LLC"). Lucky for the Walkers, though, they paid a little over $21 million for the pad back in 2007, so they've still made a nice little profit.
It boasts Central Park views and a wine cellar

Real Estate Trends

December 22, 2017

Celebrity chef Adeena Sussman lists her Central Park West co-op for $800K

Chef-to-the stars Adeena Sussman just listed her Upper West Side co-op at 410 Central Park West for $800,000. She's worked with a number of celebrity clients, including co-authoring cookbooks with model Chrissy Teigen, Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes, Lee Schrager of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, and actor David Burtka. Unsurprisingly, the open kitchen of this one-bedroom pad is well designed and fully equipped. And the rest of the apartment is finished with prewar details like hardwood floors, nine-foot beamed ceilings, and crown moldings.
Tour the kitchen

Distinctive Homes

December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
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Michael C. Hall buys $4.3M El Dorado classic six

Michael C. Hall image via Wikimedia Commons.

December 13, 2017

Michael C. Hall buys $4.3M El Dorado classic six

The iconic El Dorado seems to have retained some of its celebrity cachet despite the decampment of Alec Baldwin and Bruce Willis; the New York Post reports that Michael C. Hall of "Dexter," "Six Feet Under" and David Bowie’s “Lazarus” fame just snagged a 10th floor apartment at 300 Central Park West. The Golden Globe winner and his wife Morgan paid $4.3 million for a newly-renovated 2,200 square-foot two-bedroom unit in the Emery Roth-designed co-op, according to city records. The Golden Globe-winner also owns a two-bedroom apartment in the pricey Greenwich Lane complex at 160 West 12th Street which was on the rental market last year for $15,000 a month.
Take a peek

December 12, 2017

Waterline Square mega-development tops out on the Upper West Side

Waterline Square, a mega-development consisting of three luxury residential high-rises and measuring 2.2 million square feet, officially topped out this week, one of the most ambitious projects to hit the Upper West Side in decades. GID Development Group commissioned three major New York City architecture firms, Richard Meier & Partners, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Rafael Viñoly, to design One Waterline Square, Two Waterline Square and Three Waterline Square, respectively. The 263 condominiums of the development, located between West 59th Street and West 61st Street on the Hudson River, will commence closings in late 2018. There will also be 800 rental units available, with 20 percent of them below market rate. Hill West Architects serves as the executive architect on the project.
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December 11, 2017

Producer Bob Weinstein makes no profit on $15M Upper West Side townhouse sale

Bob Weinstein, founder of Dimension Films and co-founder of Miramax Films, which he started with his brother, disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, has all but broken even on the sale of his Upper West Side townhouse. He bought the huge home at 39 West 70th Street for $15 million back in 2009 with ex-wife Annie Clayton. They listed it for $19 million last February and then dropped the price to $17.9 million earlier this month, but city records published today show that it was sold again for $15 million. Not only did the buyer get a bargain, but they'll get to enjoy the home's period details, rear garden, terraces, roof deck, and a gym with a half-sized basketball court.
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December 11, 2017

Extell’s proposal for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower faces backlash from the community

Architecture firm Snøhetta revealed last month their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, slated to be the tallest building on the Upper West Side. Developed by Extell, the condo will rise 69 stories and contain 127 units, featuring series of “sculptural excavations” that are “evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy,” according to the architects. As the New York Times reported, critics of the project from the UWS community say the tower would violate zoning restrictions in the area. Local advocate groups, joined by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, are pushing back against the construction of Extell's ultra-luxury tower. In a statement, Rosenthal said, "We will fight this project with every tool at our disposal."
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December 11, 2017

Joy Behar’s $3.5M Upper West Side co-op is in contract after just two months

Comedian Joy Behar's three-bedroom Astor Court co-op at 205 West 89th street has entered contract a mere two months after it was listed for $3.5 million. "The View" co-host has been doing her share of real estate restructuring recently: 6sqft reported last month that Behar and husband Steve Janowitz dropped $2.4 million on a three-bedroom Lincoln Square condo at 62 West 62nd Street about 20 blocks south. Behar had traded up to the larger Astor Court unit in 2013, having previously lived in a smaller apartment in the building. In 2016 she sold her Hamptons vacation home; a month later she dropped nearly $5 million on a gorgeous property in Sag Harbor.
Get a final glance

December 1, 2017

Two Dakota neighbors seek a $20.5M buyer to restore their apartment pair to its original splendor

Just listed at the venerable Dakota at 1 West 72nd Street–with over 85 feet of Central Park views–is an opportunity to combine two apartments and re-create the gilded-age grandeur of a front-facing corner residence. 6sqft recently covered a beautifully-preserved eight-room co-op in the building, on the market for the first time in 50 years, asking $12.5 million. Now, the owners of that unit and the apartment next door are offering the rare pair for $20.5 million, in hopes that a deep-pocketed buyer will combine the two and enjoy the original 4,800 square-foot home as it was created in 1884 (h/t WSJ).
See what 4,800 square feet in the Dakota looks like

Snøhetta reveals ‘excavated’ bronze tower that will be the Upper West Side’s tallest

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta

November 27, 2017

Snøhetta reveals ‘excavated’ bronze tower that will be the Upper West Side’s tallest

Of-the-moment firm Snøhetta has revealed their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, set to be the tallest on the Upper West Side (h/t Wallpaper) The Extell-developed building will feature 127 units and a series of "sculptural excavations" that the architects say are "evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy." On the lower levels, the tower will be clad in textured limestone with bronze window frames; its narrower upper portion will have a glassy facade and chamfered corners that create a series of open-air loggias.
More renderings and details

November 16, 2017

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar drops $2.4M on a mod Upper West Side condo

According to city property records, "The View" co-host Joy Behar just dropped $2.4 million on a contemporary apartment at the Lincoln Square condo 62 West 62nd Street. Not only is the place a block away from both Central Park and Lincoln Center, but it's just four blocks from the talk show's ABC filming location on 66th Street. Ironically, it's also just a few blocks from the Trump International; Behar has been extremely vocal on her disdain for the building's namesake, even writing an entire Trump-bashing book.
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November 12, 2017

A top-floor apartment at Trump International, awash in marble, has been price chopped down to $27.5M

Extravagant is the word to describe this 47th-floor apartment at Trump International, the 52-floor hotel/condo hybrid on the corner of Central Park West. The owner snatched up the 6,360-square-foot home in 2008 and has been recently delivering a number of price cuts to unload it. In 2016, the pad was asking $40 million. That number went down to $34.5 million this April, and now it's finally landed at $27.5 million--a 31.5 percent markdown from its original ask. For all that money, however, you're getting Central Park views, four distinct types of marble flooring, and a master bathroom decked out in Lapis Lazuli stone hand-picked by European craftsman.
See all the lavish details

Distinctive Homes

November 9, 2017

Preserved Dakota apartment hits the market for the first time in 50 years, asking $12.5M

For the first time in 50 years, an eight-room apartment in the Dakota, quite possibly the city’s most iconic apartment building, is for sale with an asking price of $12.5 million. Built in 1884, the fortress-looking building at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side has been home to many celebrities over the years, including Judy Garland, Roberta Flack, Yoko Ono, and many more A-listers. As Curbed learned, four of the rooms in the available unit directly face Central Park and boast wood-burning fireplaces and original mahogany pocket doors.
Take a look around

November 9, 2017

Run your own library from this $5M bookshelf-lined Central Park West loft

The Century condominium at 25 Central Park West lives up to its ambitious name; its Art Deco architecture is as distinctive as its prime Central Park location with views to match. This light-flooded corner penthouse has 360-degree park views, but even those may need to compete with the sheer amount of reading material on the bookshelves that line this $5 million loft. With impossibly high ceilings, exposed beams, multiple levels, and innovative modern finishes, the three-bedroom residence has the feel of a loft within the elegant context of a pre-war apartment building.
Library with better hours, rules and furniture this way

Distinctive Homes

November 2, 2017

Rent Jon Hamm’s Upper West Side penthouse for $15,000/month

Sadly, it doesn't sport the mid-century vibes of "Mad Men," but Jon Hamm's Lincoln Square penthouse is still pretty incredible. The Don Draper portrayer and then-girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt bought the two-bedroom penthouse at 40 West 67th Street in 2013 for $2.5 million and then undertook a renovation. The longtime pair split in 2015, which could be why they've now decided to put the place up for rent for $14,995 a month. It's not huge, at 1,000 square feet, but it does boast two terraces, a huge dining room with two skylights, and plenty of pre-war details original to the Rosario Candela-designed building. Plus, it's located on one of the city's most coveted blocks.
Take a tour

October 29, 2017

For $1.25M, Juliet balconies and an enchanted garden create romance on the Upper West Side

This bright and cozy garden duplex co-op at 24 West 69th Street on the Upper West Side has pre-war details like high beamed ceilings, built-in bookshelves, crown moldings, French doors and two Juliet balconies; but it's the 731-square-foot private enchanted garden just outside those French doors that makes this one-bedroom-convertible-to-two such a charmer.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

October 19, 2017

After a colorful makeover and price chops, Judy Garland’s former Dakota co-op finds a $10M buyer