What is the secret to the Chupster's recent sales success? Maybe it's the holiday shopping season that has buyers in the mood (a nicely wrapped package of Gesamkunstwerk looks great under the tree), but more likely it has something to do with plummeting prices. After reports that an interested party was negotiating for the duplex unit in Julian Schnabel's West Village curio, the listing has been yanked off the market, perhaps indicating that a deal has been struck. The 3,963-square-foot 3BR was once asking as high as $32 million, but of late was going for $12.95 million. We can't imagine it'll sell for that much seeing as how the penthouse just went for $10.5 million, but crazier things have happened, especially in the pink panther. Once the deal closes it'll mean that all five units are claimed and we can begin outlining the screenplay. Oh, and let's close the loop on Richard Gere's place, shall we?
Gere famously paid $12 million for Apt. #2 in his pal's palazzo, a full-floor 4BR that he almost immediately put back on the market for $17.995 million. Earlier this month word came down that Gere found a buyer to take it off his hands "for about $1 million less" than the $12 million he paid for it, and that turned out to be true. The deed was filed with the city last week and the price on Chupi's first resale was $11 million. The buyer is listed as Mercator 360 LLC, with an address on the 8th floor of 100 Church Street?which we're assuming is the office of attorney Mohammad Billah, who signed the papers for the anonymous buyer. The mystery shouldn't last too long. West Villagers, let us know who steps out on those terraces!
· Palazzo Chupi [palazzochupi.com]
· Palazzo Chupi coverage [Curbed]