Set Designer for Saturday Night Live Buys Artsy SoHo Loft

Leo Yoshimura, a set designer and art director for late night television shows like Saturday Night Live and the Late Show with Conan O’Brien, has purchased unit 5W at SoHo’s 565 Broadway for $4.2 million through a listing held by Keller Williams.  This is a D2 class/artist in residence building, meaning it’s a former industrial site that was converted to residential and now its apartments must be inhabited by a certified artist.

The artistically designed loft seamlessly blends historic character with sleek modernism.  Original columns punctuate the 2,740-square-foot 3BR/3BA space, which retains its large windows and high ceilings.  The interior window cutouts let natural light traverse the entire unit, as does the contemporary frosted glass divider that leads into the boldly painted red den.

The kitchen, which looks out to the open dining/living room space, has granite countertops and underlit Boffi cabinets.  A Gaggenau gas range and oven, Sub-Zero refrigerator, and Miele dishwasher are all expertly concealed behind the uniform cabinetry.  The apartment also has hardwood floors throughout, three marble bathrooms, a washer/dryer, and a keyed elevator.

565 Broadway was built in 1860 at the southwest corner of Prince Street and was designed by John Kellum for John A. May, an umbrella manufacturer, who sought a real estate opportunity.  The original East Chester marble-clad structure was five stories and was leased to Ball, Black & Company, a jewelry firm and silversmith, who remained as occupants until 1874 when they went out of business.  The vaults below street level had the first safe deposit system in the country.

In 1893, Charles and Moritz Freedman bought the building for their clothing business, and added four stories made of cream-colored brick.  The now-taller building was topped with a metal cornice, which has a very interesting history of its own.  The palazzo-style ground floor has Corinthian columns and rusticated arches.  Windows on the upper eight floors are capped with semi-circular and triangular pediments. The building went co-op in 1979, and today has ten residential units.

The last owners of unit 5W had a beautiful collection of art and furniture, but we’re guessing Mr. Yoshimura will infuse the space with his own artistic design full of fun finds from his set design days.

[Listing: 565 Broadway #5W by Keller Williams]

[Via CityRealty]

Photos courtesy of Keller Williams Realty