Rumors have been flying since the weekend that Justin Timberlake?singer, actor, dick-in-boxer?has either signed or is about to sign a contract for a penthouse in West Broadway's formerly troubled Soho Mews, designed by the late Charles Gwathmey. We couldn't pry anything more than a "no comment" out of Soho Mews developer Albert Laboz, and besides, didn't JT buy a snazzy full-floor condo at Tribeca's 414 Washington Street less than two years ago? Yep, but we couldn't shake the feeling that something was up, especially when Corcoran suddenly listed one of two remaining available penthouses in Soho Mews, the $7.65 million #PHA, as "in contract."
And now there's this: Celebrity broker Adam Modlin has just listed a three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 3,000-square-foot apartment in 414 Washington Street, aka the Pearline Soap Factory. That's the same size as Timberlake's place. Is he tired of paparazzi stalking him outside a building armed only with a part-time doorman? Hmm!
A handful of Pearline units have the same layout, and the listing doesn't mention what floor the apartment is on. (UPDATE: It does now, on StreetEasy and least, and it's his.) The photos (seen in the gallery above) don't show any traces of 'N SYNC memorabilia or framed pictures of Jessica Biel. Staged to anonymity, or just a little-used pied-a-terre? Timberlake is looking to do better this time around. According to city records, in the end he paid $4,774,574 (down from an original price of $6.75 million). The ask on this new listing is $5.25 million, a $475k bump, and the developer's asking price before JT swooped in and got a discount.
If Soho Mews' Penthouse A is indeed where Timberlake is bringing sexy back (10/7 UPDATE: The Post confirms it), he's getting the same amount of bedrooms and bathrooms in a slightly smaller space, albeit with a wraparound terrace overlooking West Broadway and the two-building complex's interior courtyard. Nice spot, but he'll have more than annoying cameramen to deal with. Here's the floorplan for Penthouse A and photos of a typical Soho Mews unit, yanked from the website. Please note, however, that the penthouses are way more glassy.
· Soho Mews [Official Site]
· Justin Timberlake coverage [Curbed]
· Soho Mews coverage [Curbed]
