Curbed NY: All Posts by Rob BearLove where you live2012-12-21T14:25:00-05:00https://ny.curbed.com/authors/robbear/rss2012-12-21T14:25:00-05:002012-12-21T14:25:00-05:00'Nightclub Impresario' Lists Spotless But Small Village Loft
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<p><br> <strong>Jayma Cardoso,</strong> the nightlife whiz behind Lavo, GoldBar, and Montauk's Surf Lodge, <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/770743-condo-12-east-12th-st-greenwich-village-new-york">listed</a> her 900-square-foot Greenwich Village loft earlier this month for <strong>$1.4M.</strong> Cardoso and her then-fiance, broker Scott Campbell, were the subject of a <em>Times</em> Habitats column in 2010, when she admitted to an obsession with keeping her home neat and tidy. According to the interview, Cardoso can't even <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/11/07/the_cleanest_apartment_you_will_ever_see.php">stand</a> the sight of a "jacket on a chair" and spent more than $100K renovating the place to her high but minimalist standard. All that obsession is set to pay off, however, if Cardoso gets anything close to her $1.4M asking price, as she and Campbell forked over just $840K for the space back in 2008.<br>· <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/770743-condo-12-east-12th-st-greenwich-village-new-york">Listing: 12 East 12th Street #2NW</a> [Streeteasy]<br>· <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/11/07/the_cleanest_apartment_you_will_ever_see.php">The Cleanest Apartment You Will Ever See</a> [Curbed NY]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/12/21/10292542/nightclub-impresario-lists-spotless-but-small-village-loftRob Bear2012-12-19T15:40:00-05:002012-12-19T15:40:00-05:00Chinese Businessman's Odd Osborne Loft Returns at 60% Off
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<p><br> The Osborne loft of Hong Kong businessman <strong>Eric Hotung</strong> has returned to market, with gloomy listing photos that seem to mirror this apartment's rough time on the market. Initially listed back in 2009 for just under $2M, the odd unit—with no bedroom but an elaborate bathroom—saw its price skyrocket to a ridiculous $3.5M in June 2010, before falling back to Earth in the Fall of 2011, to $1.75M. Now, the architecturally impressive, residentially impractical flat is back, <a href="http://www.bhsusa.com/manhattan/midtown-west/205-west-57th-street/coop/3631176">listed</a> for <strong>$1.5M.</strong> No one is crying for the octogenarian Hotung, a billionaire descendant of one of Hong Kong's most prominent families, but he hasn't had the best time selling at the Osborne, one of midtown's most desirable pre-war buildings. His other unit in the building was also listed back in 2009, but took until this October to <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/679200-coop-205-west-57th-street-midtown-new-york">finally sell,</a> at a 20 percent discount, for $3.2M.<br>· <a href="http://www.bhsusa.com/manhattan/midtown-west/205-west-57th-street/coop/3631176">205 West 57th Street #4AA</a> [BHS via <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/774909-coop-205-west-57th-street-midtown-new-york">Streeteasy</a>]<br>· <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/679200-coop-205-west-57th-street-midtown-new-york">205 West 57th Street #9C</a> [Streeteasy]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/12/19/10293394/chinese-businessmans-odd-osborne-loft-returns-at-60-offRob Bear2012-12-18T13:40:00-05:002012-12-18T13:40:00-05:00Supermodel Kylie Bax Lists Renovated Tribeca Duplex
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<p><br> Kiwi model and actress <strong>Kylie Bax</strong> has <a href="http://www.bouklisgroup.com/index.cfm?page=details&id=26207">listed</a> her 3,100-square-foot duplex loft in Tribeca, according to, well, Kylie Bax, who emailed the Curbed tipline yesterday to spread the word. Bax bought the pair of combined units in 2008 for a total of $2.1M, in the building where rapper Busta Rhymes once <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2004/07/27/the_rhymes_index.php">tried</a> for an epic two-month flip. After an extensive renovation, the model's apartment is back on the market with a $3.1M asking price. The perennial cover girl—she has appeared on the cover of <em>Vogue</em> some 20 times—designed the apartment herself, squeezing three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a den, and an 800-square-foot family room into the unit, which was <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/190456-condo-11-vestry-street-tribeca-new-york">listed</a> as "TLC REQUIRED" when it was on the market back in '08.<br>· <a href="http://www.bouklisgroup.com/index.cfm?page=details&id=26207">Listing: 11 Vestry Street #3</a> [Bouklis Group]<br>· <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2004/07/27/the_rhymes_index.php">The Rhymes Index</a> [Curbed NY]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/12/18/10293940/supermodel-kylie-bax-lists-renovated-tribeca-duplexRob Bear2012-12-17T15:25:00-05:002012-12-17T15:25:00-05:00Poor Virtual Staging Dooms UWS House to Months on Market
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<p> Statistics might show that staging a listing, even virtually, improves the chances of making a sale quickly and close to ask, but the otherwise-charming Upper West Side brownstone at 116 West 71st Street shows off the dark side of computer-generated furnishings. Oddly enough, the place was formerly lightly <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/634585-townhouse-116-west-71st-street-lincoln-square-new-york">staged</a> with real furniture, as old listing photos can attest. The shoddy newer renderings look torn straight from <em>The Sims</em> and won't be convincing anyone to <a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/116-W-71st-Street-1-New-York-NY-10023/2115491286_zpid/">drop</a> <strong>$12.8M</strong> on this fully renovated, LEED-certified townhouse. Of course, the sellers were once hoping for far more—$18M to be exact—when the townhouse came to market last year. The series of price chops and occasional tiny increases aside, anything north of $10M should be a win for the developers, who snapped up the dilapidated house for $2M before embarking on the five-year renovation.</p>
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<span class="credit">The more recent, far worse virtual staging.</span><p></p>
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<span class="credit">The visually compelling original photography, plus floorplan.</span><p> · <a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/116-W-71st-Street-1-New-York-NY-10023/2115491286_zpid/">116 West 71st Street</a> [Zillow]<br>· <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/634585-townhouse-116-west-71st-street-lincoln-square-new-york">116 West 71st Street</a> [Streeteasy]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/12/17/10294380/poor-virtual-staging-dooms-uws-house-to-months-on-marketRob Bear2012-05-23T16:55:18-04:002012-05-23T16:55:18-04:00Heights TH Sells for $100K Under Initial Ask After Huge Chop
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<p> In a strange turn of events that matches this Brooklyn Heights townhouse's confused interiors, <strong>26 Garden Place</strong> has <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/closing/2038438">sold</a> for <strong>$5.45M,</strong> just a month after its price was reduced to just $4.95M. The initial asking price? $5.55M. Was there a bidding war that pushed the price back up near ask or did some poor sap just not see the new price? Maybe we'll never know, but, despite the townhouse's schizophrenic interiors, we still have a special place in our heart for the well executed rear garden, a fitting addition to a house on Garden Place. The buyer is a corporate M&A lawyer with the white-shoe firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, so chances are it was the bidding war after all.</p>
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<p> · <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/closing/2038438">26 Garden Place</a> [Streeteasy]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/23/10368532/heights-th-sells-for-100k-under-initial-ask-after-huge-chopRob Bear2012-05-22T14:15:40-04:002012-05-22T14:15:40-04:00Behind a Bright Red Door in the Village, a $6.9M Townhouse
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<p> The townhouse at <strong>19 Downing Street</strong> might not be popping up in many design magazines any time soon, but the art-filled, lived-in space might be just the thing to hook a buyer looking for a family home downtown. The 3,600-square-foot house includes four or five bedrooms—depending on whether or not the study is converted—and four bathrooms, along with a kitchen that has been updated, but not to the most luxurious standard. Still, the house has so much charm, between the high tin ceilings, moldings, and numerous orignal fireplace mantles, that the shortcomings are quickly forgiven. Three levels of the home enjoy outdoor space, with a roof deck crowning the top level, but the next owner will have to hoof their way up, as there's no elevator. With all that in mind, is <strong>$6.9M</strong> too much to ask for this house of charm?<br>· <a href="http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/19-downing-street-manhattan-xgfcohb">19 Downing Street</a> [Elliman via <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/685338-townhouse-19-downing-street-greenwich-village-new-york">Streeteasy</a>]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/22/10368956/behind-a-bright-red-door-in-the-village-a-6-9m-townhouseRob Bear2012-05-21T16:40:12-04:002012-05-21T16:40:12-04:00Petite Gramercy Park Rental Lacks Views, Asks $7.5K a Month
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<p>Located on the second floor of a 19th-century brick townhouse on Gramercy Park's western edge, this small two-bedroom excels in the details, if not in the broad strokes. There are 14-foot ceilings throughout, original moldings, oak floors, a wood-burning fireplace, and in-unit washer/dryer. But, despite the lengthy features list, there are many shortcomings as well, like a cramped second bedroom, a tiny half-bath with the washer/dryer shoehorned in, and, most importantly, no views of the park, as the unit faces back onto a rear courtyard. The <strong>$7,500</strong> monthly rent does <a href="http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=2336355">include</a> a coveted key to the private park and access to a planted roof deck.<br>· <a href="http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=2336355">2 Gramercy Park West</a> [Corcoran via <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/880294-rental-2-gramercy-park-west-gramercy-park-new-york">Streeteasy</a>]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/21/10369382/petite-gramercy-park-rental-lacks-views-asks-7-5k-a-monthRob Bear2012-05-18T13:50:00-04:002012-05-18T13:50:00-04:00Union Sq. Coffee Shop Owner/Model Picker Lists Gramercy TH
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<p> Former model turned <strong>Union Square Coffee Shop owner Carolyn Benitez</strong> and her music producer husband, <strong>Jellybean Benitez</strong>, put their Gramercy Park townhouse on the market earlier this month for the low, low price of <strong>$25M</strong>, and despite the glorious park-front location, there are a few catches. While the interiors of the 1856 structure look well preserved, the floorplan has been broken up into three units, an owner's triplex on the first three floors and two duplexes, one north and one south, on the upper floors. Oh woe of woes, the prized north duplex—that's the one with views of the Park—is occupied by one of those pesky rent-controlled tenants, meaning a conversion back to single-family is unlikely for the time being. Perhaps that's why Carolyn and Jellybean—who, by the way, once dated Madonna, scored <em>Back to the Future</em>, and produced for Whitney Houston—have decided to move on. Jellybean, who bought the place way back in 1992, stands to make a handsome profit off his investment. <br> </p>
<p> · <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/682024-multi-11-gramercy-park-gramercy-park-new-york">11 Gramercy Park</a> [Modlin Group via Streeteasy]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/18/10369876/union-sq-coffee-shop-owner-model-picker-lists-gramercy-thRob Bear2012-05-17T14:15:00-04:002012-05-17T14:15:00-04:00Exploded Village Townhouse Asks $11M
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<p> The Gold Coast townhouse at <strong>18 West 11th Street</strong> was one of many in Greenwich Village built in middle of the 19th century and one of four on this block constructed by Henry Brevoort Jr. in 1845. More than a century later, in 1978, the destroyed townhouse was rebuilt to modern principles—thanks to a bomb blast, see below—creating a jagged modernist form that angles out toward the street. Though still encased in brick, this architectural sore thumb sticks out next to its traditional neighbors. <a href="http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=2330809">Listed</a> for almost $11M, the house has also lost its historic character on the inside, where beige tile flooring and an open staircase set the 70s vibe. The angled facade translates into a unique floor plan as well, while the garden has its own eccentricities: orange concrete planters and an organically shaped deck. <strong>UPDATE:</strong> Though this writer's circa 1986 brain couldn't process it, eagle-eyed commenters reminded us that this is, in fact, the very townhouse destroyed by a botched bomb building operation in 1970. For more on that epic tale, involving the infamous Weathermen, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/05/nyregion/the-house-on-west-11th-street.html">check out</a> this New York Times piece.</p>
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<p> · <a href="http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=2330809">18 West 11th Street</a> [Corcoran via <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/684276-townhouse-18-west-11th-street-greenwich-village-new-york">Streeteasy</a>]<br>· <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/05/nyregion/the-house-on-west-11th-street.html">The House On West 11th Street</a> [NYT]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/17/10370324/deformed-exploded-village-townhouse-asks-11mRob Bear2012-05-16T12:10:00-04:002012-05-16T12:10:00-04:0050 Bond's Fourth Floor Hits Market as Fifth Enters Contract
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<p> The pre-war loft building at <strong>50 Bond Street</strong> has slowly but surely been converted from raw lofts into something befitting a block now known as "downtown’s most architecturally significant" (and <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/05/16/starchitect_annabelle_selldorfs_new_10_bond_plan_revealed.php">getting more so</a>). First there was the awesomely avant-garde fifth floor, with its glossy black kitchen, dark hardwood floors, and electric orange hallway. That place just <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/670596-condo-50-bond-street-noho-new-york">entered contract</a> for something close to its $6.37M asking price, after just two months on the market. No sooner had that one been snapped up than this one, just one floor down, <a href="http://alignednyc.com/listings?cmd=details&id=135">appears</a> on the market for <strong>$6M.</strong> A bit rougher around the edges than its upstairs counterpart, the 3,000-square-foot three bedroom still features some exposed brick, but combines that classic look with a modern kitchen and huge single-pane windows.<br>· <a href="http://alignednyc.com/listings?cmd=details&id=135">50 Bond Street 4FL</a> [Aligned via <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/683988-condo-50-bond-street-noho-new-york">Streeteasy</a>]<br>· <a href="http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/670596-condo-50-bond-street-noho-new-york">50 Bond Street 5FL</a> [Streeteasy]</p>
https://ny.curbed.com/2012/5/16/10370790/50-bonds-fourth-floor-hits-market-as-fifth-enters-contractRob Bear