LuxuryLoft.com Gossip

Is 14th Street becoming chic? If the rumors about the imminent opening of a highly exclusive SOHO HOUSE-style private club are true, it would appear so. The club, THE NORWOOD, will be located in a sensational mid-19th Century Greek revival townhouse and membership will be strictly by invitation only....The club could be an important bridge connecting Chelsea, the Village and the Meatpacking District....with the Highline Park connecting this to the rest of West Chelsea. Verrry chic!

Pop Diva Madonna is back in New York aggressively looking for a grand mansion to house her ever-expanding family. She has been spotted on the Upper East Side looking at some of the grandest townhouses ($30m+). Obviously she is avoiding co-ops after her humiliating Board turn-down at the San Remo at the beginning of her career when her pin-up pictures in Playboy may have been a little too upsetting (was it the nudity or the armpits?).

It appears that the continued buying spree in the third Richard Meier Tower in the West Village may not be the work of Alexa Stewart, the daughter of Mighty Martha.... Rumor has it Alexa is the name on the deed, but the enormous (and growing) space is indeed for the diva herself, once the owner of the penthouse at the skinniest of the Towers. (Martha sold this penthouse moments before her ridiculous moment in striped suits). The combination of units makes for one of the more spectacular apartments on the Hudson River front with sensational sunset views. Certainly a property worthy of the Queen of style?

Meryl Streeps' 12th Street townhouse is back on the market...the new owner, Johnson&Johnson heiress, Libett Johnson is selling just a few months after buying....and the asking price is a whopping 50% plus over what she paid for it at $15,95million. What does this say about the devil who wears Pada?

The Hudson riverfront is pulling in its fair share of celebrities...recently Michael Stipe of REM fame and Gwyneth Paltrow have joined Meryl Streep and others for the spectacular sunsets and soothing water exposures...

Oscar-worthy actress Scarlett Johansson has been spotted around town looking at penthouses. Ron Burkle, the California-based mogul, rumored to be buying the Los Angeles Times, also looking at some prize properties....and many other Californians sick and tired of sitting in a car the whole day...

Seen  out and about shopping for a home: CNN's Anderson Cooper, Scarlett Johansen, Hugh Jackman, Herve Pierre, designer for Carolina Herrera...

Has Mike Myers finally found a home in New York? Rumor has it he has been spotted at the ultra fabulous Ian Schrager building on Gramercy Park....

Uma Thurman, the love of Andre Balazs' life is supposedly moving back into her apartment in Gramercy.....does this mean it's officially over? Andre, on the other hand, is reportedly moving into his spectacular building on Mercer Street.....after selling his fabulous apartment further up the street on Mercer..... I guess when you are a hotelier moving is part of the job?

Martha Stewart's mini-me daughter Alexis Stewart is buying three apartments at one of the Richard Meier Towers on the West Side highway, upstaging her Mom who once owned the penthouse at 173 Perry Street......she sold when the MSO stock was tanking (under $10).  Now that it has recovered (doubled) since Martha's recovery, Alexis has forked over big bucks ($ 19million) for her new place which boasts spectacular sunsets over the Hudson River... And who says Manhattan Real Estate is not directly linked to Wall Street?

Ivanka Trump, the globetrotting, runway sashaying, pouty-lipped, Anti-Paris-Hilton-style-dumb-blonde daughter of Donald Trump is officially a TRUMP EMPLOYEE now. Rumor has it she is extremely smart, and could prove to be the next generation of Trump magic. Maybe her tagline for her TV reality show, THE APPRENTICE: RUNWAY STYLE will be: "You're Tired!".......    (We hear the Trump Hotel/Condo in SOHO will happen......and it will be tall, very tall.)

Her Serene Highness Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, known as the PUNK PRINCESS of the 1980's, has purchased a loft on West 17th Street, the "Park Avenue" of Chelsea. Seventeenth Street has experienced somewhat of a revolution in the past 10 years, transforming it from a commercial district to one of the prime streets in the Downtown market. Famous residents of 17th Street include Janet Jackson, Harrison Ford and at one point Hillary Swank. While several high end residential Condominium buildings have been established over the years, it is the Rubin Museum of Art that set 17th street as the prime Chelsea address....and now with royalty moving in, what can we say?

A few short weeks after the rumor-mill exploded with the break up of uber-glamor couple Oscar nominated actress Uma Thurman and hotelier and developer extraordinaire, Andre Balazs, the apartment they shared in the New Museum building in SOHO is now up for sale for a whopping $ 10million. The 4,000sf + loft boasts spectacular views in three directions. It is also rumored that the now bachelor du jour is planning to move into a penthouse of his newly developed building down the road at 40 Mercer Street, the glass and steel Jean Nouvel designed masterpiece.

First it was rumored that Andre Balazs is planning to move into the penthouse of his 40 Mercer building....now we hear that Ian Schrager (most famous for his Studio 54 days, hotel group and most recently his luxury condominiums)is moving into the penthouse of his sensational new building at 40 Bond Street?  It is always a good sign when the developer stays close to the people who bought from them....this way you can knock on the door when something goes awry...

Saturday Night Live producer (and possible replacement of Lorne Michael's), and daughter of uber-designer Calvin Klein (of Richard Meier Towers fame), Marci, has supposedly gone to contract on a spectacular duplex apartment in SOHO. Just over 4,000sf in size with four bedrooms, it is know that Ms. Klein has been looking for a home for several years.....and no, this spectacular home is no dive.

Word on the Street is that actress Scarlett Johansson has purchased a duplex loft in Tribeca on Leonard Street.  The loft priced under $2million features spectacular double-height ceilings and is in mint, move-in condition. The apartment is located in an area of Tribeca East of West Broadway, the more recently gentrified part of this vibrant neighborhood. Neighbors include Mariah Carey.... which could leave Scarlett lost in translation?

Oscar-winner Denzel Washington has been spotted looking at the new condo conversion of an old church just off Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.... The Washington Square Methodist Church located on West 4th Street is currently being converted into Condominium residences and the penthouse could be the perfect perch for Denzel, who has been looking for a home downtown for several years now... Maybe this location is the launch pad for a sequel to 'The Preacher's Wife'? We'll keep an eye out for Whitney Houston....

It was time to trim the PHAT......so now the 7,000square foot Liberty Street penthouse owned by Russell Simmons and his larger-than-life wife Kimora Lee, has been reduced from it's original asking price of $11million to $7,2million.....which actually makes it a good buy when compared to other similar penthouses in the area priced 20-100% more.....  THE LESSON:  Always search the sale racks and dumpsters of the super-rich?

Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's uber-fashion designer,  is supposedly in contract to buy an apartment at 50 Gramercy Park, Ian Schrager's sensational apartment building/hotel located on the highly exclusive Gramercy Park. Now the penthouse is on the market for a whopping $ 16million....that's about $ 4,000/square foot. All of a sudden the Time Warner building, Richard Meier Towers, 15 Central Park West and 40 Mercer are beginning to look like bargains.

A discreet new building located at 744 Greenwich Street is drawing the attention of some seriously chic buyers. The recently launched 5-unit building supposedly has it's superb duplex penthouse in contract already.....and word on the street is that the building is being viewed by some big-name buyers. We'll keep you posted....

Mary Tyler Moore, Jeremy Sisto (SIX FEET UNDER), Bruce Willis.....

It appears that Kelly Rippa’s magnificent SOHO loft that she sold just a few weeks ago is back on the market:  word on the street is that it closed and the buyer is re-selling after being transferred to Europe less than a month after closing…. Is this a record for quick turnaround or what? Hmmmmmm…..

What do Kelly Rippa and Harvey Weinstein have in common? Certainly not their waist-lines....but they are neighbors in the same building in SOHO on Crosby Street. It was recently reported that Kelly bought the penthouse in the building she has called home for the past few years.... The NEW YORK POST reported that she bought the penthouse previously occupied by NICOLE KIDMAN.... WRONG!  Harvey bought the apartment previously occupied by Nicole Kidman: The penthouse Kelly bought was a raw shell, and we seriously doubt Nicole's Haute Couture CHANEL frocks would have been comfortable in all that dust and rubble.... 

What do BRITNEY SPEARS, LENNY KRAVITZ and COURTNEY LOVE have in common? Not much, except they each have a property for sale in Manhattan that has been on the market literally for YEARS without selling.... Is the tide turning and has celebrity become a curse? Or has it do do with pricing expectations? Does the mere fact that a property is associated with a Tabloid-terrific name justify a higher price?  The answer appears to be a resounding NO. Jaded (and wealthy) New Yorkers are simply not nearly impressed enough to pay those extra dollars just because a celebrity has lived in a property. Time will tell if these properties sell for premium pricing, but the odds appear to be against this happening: all three properties have experienced price-drops since their initial listing.....

After the tired ramblings of numerous, less informed authorities, we have decided to give the breathtaking stretch of real estate on the West Side Highway fronting the mighty Hudson River,  stretching from Tribeca around North Moore Street all the way north to about 28th street (and growing)....is now officially the HUDSON MILE.   A good neighborhood deserves a good name, especially with homeowners including Meryl Streep, Jean Georges Vongerichten, Joel Grey, Calvin Klein....the list goes on.  

Courtney Love, the infamous owner at the Crosby Street loft building also home to rocker Lenny Kravitz, has put her loft on the market for sale. Is that a huge sigh of relief we hear from the neighbors? .....

We have heard that Harvey Weinstein, the uber-studio-about-to-sever-ties-with-Disney-boss is selling the magnificent loft he bought just a few months ago in the same Soho building that is home to Uma Thurman's beau.....

Jay-Z has supposedly closed on a spectacular double penthouse loft on Hudson street in Tribeca. The sprawling abode will no doubt act as a downtown crash-pad for Jay-zZs sassy girlfriend, Beyonce, who is certain to be able to watch over  his coming-s and goings....about 80 streets uptown in her high-rise abode atop the Bloomberg tower...Costing almost $7million, with at least another million required to finish out the space, Beyonce had better keep her eye on the Franklin Tower penthouse neighbor across the way....Mariah Carey......

Martha Stewart is finally in contract again on her duplex penthouse at the notorious Richard Meier Towers in Greenwich Village...The selling price rumored to be around $ 7million is actually quite reasonable for such a spectacular piece of real estate. The building has received too much bad press recently (much of it unfairly so), and compared to other new buildings, the quality is not as bad as we hear, even at those prices... One major gripe is that you're highly exposed to the highway through the enormous expanses of glass windows....maybe prepping Martha for life behind bars? Nasty!

Traditionally, the grid between University Place and 6th Avenue, and 9th Street and 13th Street was known as the Greenwich Village 'Gold Coast'....only there wasn't a coast in sight! Now that the far West Side has developed beyond recognition, the real GOLD COAST has arrived....and it actually faces water this time.

Gold Coast residents will include Oscar winner, Nicole Kidman, Uber-chef, Jean-Gorges Vongerichten, Calvin Klein, the 'mini-billi's', The Olsen twins, and also in contract to buy a stunning penthouse at THE RIVER LOFTS, multiple Oscar winner, Meryl Streep....who is selling her townhouse in the old 'Gold Coast' on 12th Street....

Soon-to-be-wed-again Brintey Spears' triplex in Noho is on the market......and word on the street is that the furniture had to be removed as it detracted from the quality of the apartment. One sassy, nasty broker commented that the decor appeared to have been concocted by her mother or grandmother ....better call her 'Miss Spears' if you're going to be NASTY!

Mogul-rapper, bootie-licious-dating Jay Z is actively searching for a Manhattan spread.. and he is focusing on Downtown luxurylofts: What about the $ 20million 8,000sf penthouse with full-sized swimming pool? What about the Glass Menagerie-style, ultra-faaaabulous $ 18,5million penthouse atop the new, 3rd Richard Meier building on the West Side Highway?.....better that Calvin's triplex for sure, especially with those wrap terraces! What about combining the two penthouses at 73 Wooster? What about the penthouse at the ICE HOUSE in Tribeca: now that it's been on the market for 3 years it's price is beginning to look attractive..... Or maybe keep it simple and crash at Beyonce-pad-extraordinaire at the Bloomberg Tower....

285 Lafayette Street, the SOHO building synonymous with super-star celebrity David Bowie and his eternally exquisite wife Iman, is experiencing multiple sales this year: Firstly, a loft listed for $ 2,995million traded for over $ 3,7millio in a bidding war.....then the Nederlander penthouse went, and now we hear the Lachlan Murdoch 3,290sf penthouse traded in a hush-hush transaction for $ 7,5million.....

The SUPERLOFT buyer is back in a big way.....reports are out that a contract has been signed on the mega-penthouse at THE HUBERT, a newly constructed loft building in Tribeca.....for over $ 12million. Rumor has it that Lenny Kravitz' penthouse is close to accepting an offer over $ 12million too.... It appears that the buyers of these properties are Uptowners with little or no celebrity status......boring, but rich!

ean-Gorges Vongerichten, world famous restauranteur and chef, has unloaded his fabulous loft at 66 Leonard Street in Tribeca as his ultra-fabulous loft-style apartment at the Richard Meier Towers nears completion.....

Nicole Kidman is currently renting rock-star supremo Lenny Kravitz' spectacular Soho penthouse while her new Richard Meier-designed glass tower residence is completed in the West Village.  The 6,000 square foot plus contemporary masterpiece is currently for sale, listed at almost $ 15million.  That buys multiple terraces, an outdoor jacuzzi, titanium-clad walls, a Million dollar plus audio/stereo system, and so much more that a rocker-celebrity demands these days........ Actually, the taste level is unusually strong, if you've ever watched MTV Cribs....

Julianne Moore has sold her remarkable penthouse loft at 345 West 13th Street (recently featured in Metropolitan Home) close to the asking price of $ 3,9million. The gorgeous duplex featured stunning exposed beams and columns, and great views of the trendy Meatpacking District..... the decor was sublime, and one assumes the exquisite artwork and furnishings will find a new home i her recently acquired townhouse in the Village, where she will join fellow-Village-people, Matthew Broderick and Sara Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.......

Joanne Corzine, Senator Jon's ex, has listed her Tribeca penthouse for $6,9million. The loft, located on Laight Street, has undergone a mammoth $ 1million plus renovation......

When a British-based Mexican financier signed a contract on a $ 40 million plus pad at the new AOL-Time Warner building at Columbus Circle, many described it as an apartment....when in reality it has lofty proportions.....up to 25 foot ceilings.....on the 76th and 77th floors overlooking Central Park and practically everything else in Manhattan, New Jersey and surrounds.  The space will be bought raw and still requires a gut renovation to make it a home.  Neighbors include pop star Ricky Martin.......

Poor little Norah Jones, Grammy super-star supreme.....after the new York Post blasted headlines about her rather humble apartment in the East Village, she is out on the town with her broker searching for a new home. The challenge: neighbors that won't mind her piano practicing and enough mantle space for all those Grammy's she just won......and that's a challenge?  She could be my neighbor anytime! .....

Uber-Rocker Lenny Kravitz has his digs up for sale.....certainly one of Soho's most spectacular penthouses, if not the most spectacular penthouse Manhattan has ever seen..... with Titanium-clad walls, steel and glass in abundance, and every conceivable modern convenience, not to mention the Million dollar plus sound system.... With an outdoor fireplace and jacuzzi, thousands of square feet of multi-level terraces, believe-it-or-not, this one is worth all of the $ 15 million of it's asking price.

Pop princess Britney Spears is out shopping again.....for new digs in Manhattan. We'll keep you posted......

It is rumored that mega-star girlfriend to Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, is moving to the Chelsea Mercantile, Downtown's only true full-service Loft Condominium..... Diva songstress of the 80's and 90's, Lisa Stansfield has also bought there.  Another rising star movie actor Josh Hartnett is out looking........................

Rocker-extraordinaire, Lenny Kravitz has reportedly put his recently completed Crosby street Soho penthouse on the market. The multi-layered, titanium-clad masterpiece with spectacular terraces, glass walls and every conceivable luxury is rumored to be obtainable at around $ 16million........................

Ed Burns and super-model wife Christy Turlington, have purchased 2 new lofts (to be combined)in Tribeca, on North Moore Street, just down the cobbled road from Ed's old digs, JFK junior's old loft.  That means Christy's splendidly splashy townhouse on East 11th Street is on the market..............................

Super-star Julianne Moore is relocating in the Meat-packing district building she has called her Manhattan home since 1999.  On a parallel with her escalating career as one of Hollywood's leading ladies, she has just purchased one of the penthouses in a Tony Luxuryloft building on West 13th Street.  The stunning 3800 square foot duplex with it's Hudson-river-facing terrace and 15 foot ceilings is one of the area's best, and she happened to buy it for a mere $ 2,65million..... at just under $ 700 per square foot it almost qualifies at a bargain when compared to the average $ 1,000 per foot being paid for condominium penthouse space Downtown...........brains and beauty:  The New Hollywood?

Super-model Naomi Campbell is out on the prowl....looking for a home in Manhattan: She's been spotted behind large dark shades entering some of New York's most fabulous apartment and luxuryloft buildings.....we'll keep you posted.

Meg Ryan is reported to have signed contracts to purchase one of Soho's prime luxuryloft penthouses....in fact not one, but two penthouses. She plans on combining them.  The luxurylofts feature huge windows, soaring ceilings and the celebrity features one would simply expect:  and all for around $ 9 million.  The loft features new construction added on top of the existing building that used to be famous gallery space. This portion features a modern glass and steel esthetic (with superb outdoor space).....perfect for the neighbors to spy on her recently active activities...

Saturday Night Live SUPERSTAR Molly Shannon is out and about, checking out Downtown's best luxurylofts......we'll keep you posted.

Noho has to be one of the hottest areas in Manhattan...what with two Ian Schrager hotels planned, one located at Astor Place designed by Rem Koolhaas, and the other on Bond Street by Phillipe Starcke.  So hot in fact that Oscar-winner actor Matt Damon was recently spotted exiting his very own luxuryloft in the area: Maybe that explains why pal Ben Affleck has been spotted viewing lofts in the area too

A gorgeous luxuryloft located in the Meat-Packing district sold recently just shy of $ 2 million.....purchased in 1999 (New conversion) for just under $ 900,000. 00, it's owner's are currently comparing the returns of their Real Estate portfolio to their NASDAQ portfolio......and their loft sale looks like a winning lottery ticket!   

When Venture Capitalist Robert Evans bought both Penthouses at 56 Crosby in Soho (both for the bargain sum of $8,65million), his super-ambitious plans to have the units combined and converted into probably Downtown's most magnificent ever luxuryloft showplace, he was met with grave opposition from  the Board....the Condo Board! Traditionally, it is the Co-op Board whose reputation for being difficult is notorious, but now the Condo Board has reared it's head and opposed the plans which would have involved month's, if not year's, of noisy and disruptive construction.  So, instead Mr. Evans is selling both penthouses for $ 9,5million which would net him a small profit, even in to-day's 'new ' real estate market. Did anyone say recession? I think not!

Look around the real estate market in Manhattan and you'd be surprised to hear about waning consumer confidence, especially amongst the Celebrity-set. The market is busy, busy, busy.........and there are some major names out shopping! Included, a recent cover-boy of 'Vanity Fair'.....stay tuned. 

Things have turned ugly at The Ice House, a luxuryloft condo building on Northmoore Street (The JFK Jnr. block) in Tribeca.  The owners in the building (which include Billy Crystal, Warner Wolfe, and until recently Latin crooner Marc Anthony) have filed an $ 8 million suit against the developers alleging shoddy construction by the developers including faulty air conditioning, leaky plumbing, buckling floors, and numerous substitutions of finishes that were promised at the time of purchase....yet all this hasn't prevented numerous re-sales in the building where those who purchased in the construction phase in 1999 are coming close to doubling their money!

Studio 54 co-founder Ian Shrager is developing not one, but two hotels in Manhattan's super-hot neighborhood, NoHo. The one will be located on Bond Street between Lafayette and The Bowery. The other will be on Astor Place (opposite K-Mart..........so, will Martha Stewart's next endeavor be a Phillipe Starke-inspired home collection?)  Add these to the recently opened 'W-Union Square',  The Mercer, Tribeca Grand, Soho Grand and Downtown's luxury hotel mix is beginning to catch up with the luxuryloft market.

Park Avenue's Social-set 'prince of chintz' interior designer Mario Buatta has reportedly  been  assigned  the  unlikely  task  of  decorating  Mariah Carey's sensational Triplex luxuryloft in Tribeca......What???? Yes, it's true! Now, if you've seen  anything  of  Mario Buatta's  80's chintz-heavy  work you'd understand the unlikelihood of this pairing. Maybe Nan Kemper and Brooke Astor will become Mariah's fashion consultants?

Actress Liv Tyler has reportedly backed out of a deal to purchase a loft on Crosby Street in Soho due to the excessive publicity surrounding the sale:  Although she was not available to comment, her mother did say she had a right to her privacy, and her safety was of utmost concern. Revealing the address of her new home certainly wouldn't help!

A new luxuryloft conversion located in Noho is drawing a celebrity-studded shopping list.  Included are a major Rock star, an ace tennis player, and a big-time news anchor.... We'll keep you posted.

Ben Stiller recently shot scenes from his new upcoming movie "Zoolander" in one of Soho's most wonderful new luxuryloft buildings on Crosby Street. The apartment used measures about 4000 square feet in size, with spectacular finishes.

Crosby Street in Soho, recently considered by many to be on 'the wrong side of Broadway' is now the celebrity address du jour. In one building alone, Aerosmith rocker Steve Tyler's actress daughter, Liv, has allegedly purchased a 4000 square foot loft along with other rocker's Courtney Love and Lenny Kravitz. Price:  around $ 3 million....and these lofts are delivered with only one bathroom and a kitchen: the rest is up to the buyer. The building is notable for it's exquisite wood columns and mahogany windows, and although beautiful space-wise, they are severely lacking in views. But then, who needs a view when each loft is allotted it's own 'room' in the breathtaking basement wine cellar?

Did you know that many celebrities own a luxuryloft? Here are a few names to consider: Billy Crystal, Mariah Carey, Susan Sarandon, Julie Chen, Bobbie Flay, Marcus Schenkenberg, David Bowie + Iman, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon ….

A leading Hedge Fund manager recently purchased three adjoining penthouses in a new development in Chelsea……They will be combined to make one fabulous apartment, with over 5000 square feet interior and about 3000 square feet exterior space. Crazy? To some, yes, while others would say it’s the smartest thing ever (if you can afford it!) Historically, really large lofts sell for much higher prices per square foot than smaller counterparts. And the more luxuriously appointed, the better. Chances are this ‘crazy’ buyer will make a substantial profit upon re-sale: probably why he’s so successful.

A large number of traditionally Upper East Side or Upper West Side Co-op apartment buyers are heading South……to the downtown market where with the advent of the luxuryloft, all their needs are being met: Space, services AND the youthfulness of ‘where it’s happening’.

Recently, a world-reknowned movie mogul sold his Central Park apartment for over $ 20 million…..he is currently renting in a Downtown loft building, while he searches for the ultimate luxuryloft to own….

Bodacious belly-button babe, Britney Spears has signed a contract to buy a luxuryloft Downtown......supposedly there was a battle to buy this beautiful duplex with several buyers vying for it.  So was Christina Aguilera the other bidder?

Rocker Lenny Kravitz has reportedly  signed a contract to buy one of Soho's most faaaabulous penthouse luxuryloft's.  The spectacularly modern digs are duplexed with multiple terraces, fireplaces, and everything else that opens and shuts. As it should be for $ 7million plus! (Certainly the place to impress that American woman too.)

Super-curvacious ex-Baywatch star Pamela Lee Anderson has been spotted with her beau, super-model-turned rock-star, Marcus Schenkenberg, looking at some luxurylofts in the Downtown Manhattan area.