There was a period in Curbed history when every few months, a new report of a price reduction at Russell Simmons' duplex penthouse at 114 Liberty Street would surface. Famously, Sean "Diddy" Combs was set to close on the massive World Trade Center-overlooking spread before the 9/11 attacks wrecked the place. Following a renovation, the apartment bounced around the market for years (at prices between $8-$12 million), but all has been quiet since 2007. Now we know why. The record exec moved back into the place from the Jersey suburbs following his divorce, and now he's showing off the 8,000-square-foot penthouse's meditation chambers and Ground Zero views to the Post. He has some interesting things to say about life in FiDi:
What is it like living here after 9/11? I literally live right across the street from Ground Zero, so it feels and looks like Dubai. They are building all around me, but I love it here and love the building. There is quite a lot of noise during certain parts of the day, which I thought would be a problem, but I don't mind it. I mostly only hear it when I'm in meditation, and I truly like the noise. It really makes me focus on my practice. It took me six years to move back. But I love the neighborhood, including the park and movie theater that are just down the block.
Weren't you trying to sell your place? Are you happy you didn't?Yes, but I then realized that this place was going to go up in value. I'm very happy that I didn't sell.
Russell Simmons: bullish on FiDi! But heck, when you live next to the cursed Deutsche Bank building, positive thinking is a must.
· Give Me Liberty! [NYPost]
· Russell Simmons coverage [Curbed]
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