It's time to make up a bunch of awards and hand them out to the most deserving people, places and things in the real estate, architecture and neighborhood universes of New York City! Yep, it's time for the Eighth Annual Curbed Awards! Today's topic: real estate!
Celebrity of the Year
Her real estate quest consumed our entire year, ever since she was spotted checking out an NYUville triplex penthouse in January. Her search next took her to a beauty of a $14.95 million penthouse at 2 Horatio Street. She finally found her soulmates in a pair of 1BRs at 299 West 12th Street. But that was too easy: she was recently rumored to be relisting the apartments. We're talking, of course, about the one and only Jennifer Aniston. And here's to another year of her house-hunting.
Celebrity Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award
To be awarded henceforth to the celebrity whose real estate trials most entertain us over the course of the year. This year's honoree finally found a townhouse rental at 250 West 10th Street?only to have it catch fire in the middle of the night. The fire?and a little redecoration?mean her landlord is now seeking to evict her. This award goes to Courtney Love. And probably not for the last time.
Broker of the Year
This year's winning broker is actually three brokers?but sometimes they speak as one, so it still counts. This year they published a book, continued to star in a show, and, not unrelatedly, picked up some high-profile listings. Ladies and gents, the Kleiers.
The Golden Tainties
Awarded to the top apartments singed by scandal.
3) Its time on the market was brief but no less memorable for it. We're talking about the Forest Hills co-op owned by Anthony Weiner and wife Huma Abedin. The couple listed the 2BR place in May and pulled it from the market in early June.
2) Maintaining a Madoff presence on this list for the third year running, we have a $32,500/month rental in 158 Mercer Street's New Museum building. The apartment belonged to Bernie Madoff's son Mark Madoff, who committed suicide; the listing, unsurprisingly, kept the connection hush-hush.
1) First place this year goes to 153 Franklin Street, the renovated and PriceChopped Tribeca townhouse rented by Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The rental ask on the house was $50,000/month, and it's still for sale at $12.5 million.
The Barbara Corcoran Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded annually to Barbara Corcoran, this year for visiting Staten Island, all for an excuse to make Godfather puns.
The Michael Shvo Gross Overexposure Award
Awarded annually to that person who wrote themselves into the headlines most frequently in the last calendar year, this year's prize goes jointly to One57 and its developer, Gary Barnett. Both began grabbing headlines long before the building actually hit the market (a $98.5 million penthouse, anyone?). Barnett is on record as believing the building will sell out within two years, so we'll next be taking nominees for this award in 2013.
Hotelier of the Year
Two moves by Andre Balazs prompted us to give him this award: the blockbuster purchase of decaying downtown beauty 5 Beekman Street and the plan to turn the Cooper Square Hotel into the Standard East. Depending on how the neighbors respond to Standard East, we may be giving Balazs the next award next year.
The Not Afraid to Court Controversy Award
The Kent Swigs and Yair Levys of the world have dominated this award the last few years, but let's reward non-violence this year. Joseph Chetrit gets the award for his purchase and planned renovation of the Hotel Chelsea. The renovation has already sparked environmental and eviction lawsuits?oh, and a brawl between hotel residents and construction workers. So much for non-violence.
Developer of the Year
This developer gave up on Gowanus and was blamed for the area's botched cleanup, and elsewhere in Brooklyn, it also took criticism from unhappy buyers at Northside Piers. Which makes Toll Brothers' most recent moves even more attention-grabbing. The developer is hoping to spur bidding wars at new Dumbo project 205 Water Street and had sold 17 of 22 units at the Upper East Side's The Touraine as of early December. Toll Brothers has plans to build on the former Fortress of Glassitude site and is among those vying for the hotel and condos at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Quite a year.
· Curbed Awards 2011 coverage [Curbed]
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