Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Meet the big shots who live at 15 Central Park West, the world's most powerful address

15 Central Park West has been called the most powerful address in the world.
Important people, from celebrities to Wall Street CEOs, have owned units in the building.
Some have since sold their homes for eye-popping amounts.

There are plenty of legendary addresses in New York City, but 15 Central Park West stands out. The ultra-luxury condominium on the corner of West 61st Street and Central Park West has been home to a long list of bankers, celebrities, and assorted bold-faced names, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Denzel Washington.

Author Michael Gross, who published a history of the condo called "House of Outrageous Fortune" in 2014, calls it the world's most powerful address. Unlike many of New York's history-filled apartment buildings — especially its main rival across the park, 740 Park Avenue — 15 Central Park West is a relative newcomer.

Completed in 2008 by developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf, it offers a ridiculous array of amenities to New York's moneyed elite, including an in-house chef, a lap pool, and a private screening room.

15 Central Park West took three years and about $1 billion to construct, including the cost of the land. It was an immediate success, ringing up $2 billion in sales. Even today, the building continues to break real-estate sales records.

Mike Tauber

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Robert A.M. Stern, the architect of 15 CPW, was inspired by the great New York apartments of the 1920s, not today's glassy towers. The building has two sections with 201 units in total, as well as a formal driveway.

Mike Tauber

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Other amenities include a library, private restaurant, three-lane lap pool, and health club with private massage rooms and yoga area.

Peter Aaron/Otto

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

The facade of the building is completely covered in limestone, which costs millions of dollars more than brick. The lobby is also opulent, with English oak panels, fluted marble columns, and two fireplaces. There's even a waiting room for chauffeurs.

Peter Aaron/Otto

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

It's only been open for a few years, but the list of well-known people who have lived or currently live at 15 CPW is astounding. Let's start with the finance folks.

Julie Zeveloff/Business Insider

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Hedge-fund manager Daniel Loeb bought an eight-bedroom, 10,700-square-foot penthouse condo, paying a record-breaking $45 million back in 2005 when the building was still a hole in the ground. He reportedly outbid Carl Icahn for the unit.

Prudential Douglas Elliman

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was also an early buyer. He paid $25.7 million in cash for his corner duplex back in 2006.

CORE Group NYC

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill bought a full-floor penthouse in the front section of 15 CPW. He paid $43.7 million for the place in 2007, then a record price per square foot, and surprised his wife with it on Valentine's Day.

AP Photo

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

But that was nothing compared to the $88 million Weill made when he sold it to the 22-year-old daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. She reportedly barely uses it — and Ryboloblev put it back on the market.

AP Photo

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross, New York Post

More than half a dozen Goldman Sachs execs have owned apartments at 15 CPW at some point — no surprise, since the bank helped finance the building. "Goldman Sachs executives didn't need to make phone calls or write letters to make its building desirable," Gross wrote of the so-called Goldman Effect. "The mere fact that Goldman people were buying en masse made it so."

Mike Tauber

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Hedge-fund founder Daniel Och was another early buyer, picking up the top floor of the 43-story tower — a simplex listed at $41.25 million. He held a birthday party in the apartment before it was finished, setting up a stage on the terrace where the band Five for Fighting performed.

Wikipedia

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Israeli scientist Shlomo Ben-Haim sold his 40th-floor penthouse to a mysterious buyer for $37 million in 2012; it was later revealed to be Bob Diamond, then-CEO of Barclays Capital. In May 2017, Diamond sold the penthouse to an unnamed Chinese buyer for $50 million.

REUTERS/ David Moir and Halstead

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross, The Real Deal

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

The building's amenities and private nature are also a major draw for celebrities. Denzel Washington paid just over $13 million for a three-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment back in 2006.

Universal/AP

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Sting bought the $26.5 million condo right next to Lloyd Blankfein's in 2008. He sold it for $50 million this fall.

Wikipedia/Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross, Page Six

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and his wife paid $9.67 million for a condo in 2007. The couple sold it in 2013 for $25 million, just a little under its $30 million asking price.

Halstead Property

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Slugger Alex Rodriguez rented a $30,000-a-month apartment there in 2010. He was "the best tenant," one broker told Gross, though building staff griped about his womanizing. Robert De Niro would later rent the same unit, which was owned by steel magnate Leroy Schechter. Schecter has listed that apartment for sale a few times, though it's unclear if it has sold.

Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross, Curbed NY

Actors Kelsey Grammer and Mark Wahlberg have also called the building home for brief periods. "Security is tight — and for good reason," Gross writes. "Members of the staff believe that terrorists have threatened, if not targeted, the building."

Halstead/Getty

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Techies are also represented at 15 CPW. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang dropped a little more than $20 million for a condo in the "house" section of the complex.

REUTERS/Rick Wilking and Sotheby's

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Former Google exec Omid Kordestani owns a unit on the same floor as Lloyd Blankfein and Sting. He bought his apartment in March 2008 for $29.5 million. Kordestani joined Twitter as executive chairman in October 2015.

Julie Zeveloff/Business Insider

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Representing the media world, Wine Spectator publisher Martin Shanken was another early buyer. He paid $19.75 million for his half-floor penthouse.

Mike Tauber

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Sportscaster Bob Costas bought his $11 million pad in 2007; he and wife, Jill, moved in from the Time Warner Center a few blocks away.

Halstead/FTW

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

The real-estate world has a presence in the building as well. Both Zeckendorf brothers, who developed the building, bought apartments there. They each paid $11.5 million, discounts of $3.5 million from the initial listing prices. Will later sold his for $40 million.

AP Photo/Richard Drew

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Co-developer Eyal Ofer and his brother Idan also bought into the property. Eyal wound up with a penthouse featuring a King of the World terrace that was listed for $26 million, and Idan got a $4 million discount on his $30 million pad, according to Gross.

Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Marquis Jets founder Jesse Itzler and his wife, Spanx inventor Sara Blakely, bought two condos, which together cost $14.7 million. Blakely has a fear of heights, and the couple reportedly hired a former Navy SEAL to suggest emergency escape plans from their 37th-floor apartment, Gross writes. The couple sold their 37th-floor unit for $30 million in August 2014.

Fernando Leon/Getty Images and Sotheby's

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Photos are listing and public photos of 15 Central Park West; not actual apartments.

Other major executives who bought into 15 CPW include TV producer Norman Lear, who paid $10.2 million for his pad; Limited founder Leslie Wexner, who spent $13.34 million on his; and Alan Horn, ex-president of Warner Bros., who paid $9.7 million.

nostos-music.blogspot

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Meet the big shots who live at 15 Central Park West, the world's most powerful address

15 Central Park West took three years and about $1 billion to construct, including the cost of the land. It was an immediate success, ringing up $2 billion in sales. Even today, the building continues to break real-estate sales records.

Robert A.M. Stern, the architect of 15 CPW, was inspired by the great New York apartments of the 1920s, not today's glassy towers. The building has two sections with 201 units in total, as well as a formal driveway.

Other amenities include a library, private restaurant, three-lane lap pool, and health club with private massage rooms and yoga area.

The facade of the building is completely covered in limestone, which costs millions of dollars more than brick. The lobby is also opulent, with English oak panels, fluted marble columns, and two fireplaces. There's even a waiting room for chauffeurs.

It's only been open for a few years, but the list of well-known people who have lived or currently live at 15 CPW is astounding. Let's start with the finance folks.

Hedge-fund manager Daniel Loeb bought an eight-bedroom, 10,700-square-foot penthouse condo, paying a record-breaking $45 million back in 2005 when the building was still a hole in the ground. He reportedly outbid Carl Icahn for the unit.

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein was also an early buyer. He paid $25.7 million in cash for his corner duplex back in 2006.

Former Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill bought a full-floor penthouse in the front section of 15 CPW. He paid $43.7 million for the place in 2007, then a record price per square foot, and surprised his wife with it on Valentine's Day.

But that was nothing compared to the $88 million Weill made when he sold it to the 22-year-old daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. She reportedly barely uses it — and Ryboloblev put it back on the market.

Hedge-fund founder Daniel Och was another early buyer, picking up the top floor of the 43-story tower — a simplex listed at $41.25 million. He held a birthday party in the apartment before it was finished, setting up a stage on the terrace where the band Five for Fighting performed.

Israeli scientist Shlomo Ben-Haim sold his 40th-floor penthouse to a mysterious buyer for $37 million in 2012; it was later revealed to be Bob Diamond, then-CEO of Barclays Capital. In May 2017, Diamond sold the penthouse to an unnamed Chinese buyer for $50 million.

The building's amenities and private nature are also a major draw for celebrities. Denzel Washington paid just over $13 million for a three-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment back in 2006.

Sting bought the $26.5 million condo right next to Lloyd Blankfein's in 2008. He sold it for $50 million this fall.

NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon and his wife paid $9.67 million for a condo in 2007. The couple sold it in 2013 for $25 million, just a little under its $30 million asking price.

Actors Kelsey Grammer and Mark Wahlberg have also called the building home for brief periods. "Security is tight — and for good reason," Gross writes. "Members of the staff believe that terrorists have threatened, if not targeted, the building."

Techies are also represented at 15 CPW. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang dropped a little more than $20 million for a condo in the "house" section of the complex.

Former Google exec Omid Kordestani owns a unit on the same floor as Lloyd Blankfein and Sting. He bought his apartment in March 2008 for $29.5 million. Kordestani joined Twitter as executive chairman in October 2015.

Representing the media world, Wine Spectator publisher Martin Shanken was another early buyer. He paid $19.75 million for his half-floor penthouse.

Sportscaster Bob Costas bought his $11 million pad in 2007; he and wife, Jill, moved in from the Time Warner Center a few blocks away.

The real-estate world has a presence in the building as well. Both Zeckendorf brothers, who developed the building, bought apartments there. They each paid $11.5 million, discounts of $3.5 million from the initial listing prices. Will later sold his for $40 million.

Co-developer Eyal Ofer and his brother Idan also bought into the property. Eyal wound up with a penthouse featuring a King of the World terrace that was listed for $26 million, and Idan got a $4 million discount on his $30 million pad, according to Gross.

Other major executives who bought into 15 CPW include TV producer Norman Lear, who paid $10.2 million for his pad; Limited founder Leslie Wexner, who spent $13.34 million on his; and Alan Horn, ex-president of Warner Bros., who paid $9.7 million.

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