With the arrival of the new year, Behind The Hedges is looking back at Manhattan’s real estate market in 2024.
What we found is that two buildings made up half of the year’s biggest sales, where trades ranged from just over $45 million to $135 million.
Plus, it’s all about privacy and amenities when it comes to these ultra-luxurious residences in the sky. Swoon with us at these incredible Big Apple abodes.
1) 730 Fifth Avenue #26A | $135,038,475
The Aman New York is home to the biggest sale in New York City last year— as well as several other residential trades that made our top 10 list.
The five-story penthouse at 730 Fifth Avenue, sold as an unfinished space, traded for a staggering $135 million on July 11, 2024. The 12,500-square-foot condominium can be found in the crown of the Midtown Manhattan tower, also known as the Crown Building or the Heckscher Building. Originally designed by Grand Central architects Warren & Wetmore and built in 1922, it stands as an example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the New York City skyline. In fact, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission designated it a landmark in May.
Reimagined by architect Jean-Michel Gathy, the Aman New York is now an uber-luxe hotel-condo with 83 hotel rooms and 22 private residences on the upper floors. It was developed by OKO Group, the U.S. development firm founded by Aman’s CEO and Chairman Vlad Doronin, whom The Wall Street Journal identified as the penthouse buyer.
Situated at the crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, Aman New York overlooks Central Park, Aman New York residents enjoy all of the services and amenities offered to hotel guests, plus more, such as a private entrance on 56th Street. The Aman Club Membership allows preferred access to the 25,000-square-foot spa set over three floors that includes an indoor swimming pool, a 7,000-square-foot outdoor dining and entertainment space, a Jazz Club and the private Aman Club.
2) 217 West 57th Street #107 | $117,390,500
Closing a month earlier, a duplex penthouse at Central Park Tower traded for $117 million on June 21. Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the world, was also home to several of the most expensive sales this year.
The 12,557-square-foot condo offers spectacular views, two terraces, seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and two powder rooms. From the private 107th floor, a 40-foot-long gallery provides views to the east, to the west and north to Central Park. A “masterfully-proportioned” 65-foot, double-height Grand Salon features three walls of floor-to-ceiling glass that showcase all of Central Park, the Hudson River, up to the Pallisades, out to the Long Island Sound and more.
A library, an observatory suite, a media room with a wester-facing terrace, a separate wing with two bedrooms and a den, and a chef’s kitchen with custom-crafted cabinetry by Smallbone of Devizes complete the first floor.
A grand staircase or private elevator ascends to the 108th floor where there is the primary bedroom and a sitting room, located directly on Central Park, and dual bathrooms and dressing rooms.
Four additional bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms can also be found.
The residence was listed with Extell, the developer. Kent Wu, John Gomes and Fredrik Eklund, all of Douglas Elliman, brought the buyer.
Central Park Tower, which rises 1,500 feet above, was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, with interiors by Rottet Studios. It has become one of the top-selling buildings of all time in Manhattan.
The building’s private Central Park Tower Club offers 50,000 square feet of amenities, such as a spa, private screening room, outdoor recreational spaces and a business center. Located on the 100th floor with an elevation of 1,000 feet, 10Cubed boasts private Michelin-star dining and one of the world’s highest ballrooms. The Club provides an outdoor landscaped terrace, a 60-foot saltwater pool, and an outdoor movie theater with bar and grill. Inside, there is a sunlit saltwater lap pool and hot tub, a double-height windowed sports court and a high-tech fitness center.
3) 220 Central Park South #63 and #18A | $81.5 million
In an off-market sale between two limited liability companies, the two units in this Billionaires’ Row tower’ sold for a combined $81.5 million on Jun 17, 2024. The Real Deal reported the apartments traded for a 30% premium over their 2020 sale prices.
The Robert A.M. Stern-designed building at 220 Central Park South holds the distinction as the location of the most expensive residential sale ever in the United States. Ken Griffin, the billionaire investor, bought the 23,000-square-foot quadplex for $238 million in 2019.
The seller was repped by Deborah Kern of The Corcoran Group. Darya Goldstein and Dylan Hoffman of Compass brought the buyer to the deal.
4) 520 Park Avenue #DPH63, #4E, #4D| $78,964,000
Another Robert A.M. Stern-designed building in Lennox Hill is the site of the fourth priciest sale; a duplex penthouse that reportedly sold in an all-cash deal, according to The Real Deal.
Closing on Nov. 26, 2024, it was the final sponsor sale in the building, meaning the unit had not been sold previously. The 54-story building has generated a reported $1.05 billion in sales across the 35 residences since sales launched in 2015.
The penthouse had been asking $100 million. The deal included two smaller units, listed as maid’s rooms.
The building’s on-site team for Zeckendorf Marketing Associates handled the sale, according to Brown Harris Stevens. Arthur Zeckendorf. Casa Blanca’s Louis Buckworth and Hannah Bomze repped the buyer.
5) 138-140 West 11th Street | $72.5 million
A downtown townhouse broke into the top half of the biggest sales list. Located in Greenwich Village, this Frankenmansion traded in an off-market deal on Jan. 30, 2024, setting a new record for downtown townhouses that once sat at $58.5 million.
The seller was Dexter Goei, the former chief executive officer of Altice, who had purchased the 12,000-square-foot, single-family property in 2016 for $30.6 million, records show.
A double-wide townhome, they had been an 11-unit multi-family building before it was redeveloped in 2014.
By comparison, an Upper East Side townhome sold for $77.1 million in 2019.
6) 730 Fifth Avenue #23A | $64 million
When this unit in the Aman New York sold on July 31, it marked the first resale in the building, which was only completed in 2022. Records show it sold for $50,604,750 earlier in 2024, when it had been asking $56 million.
The approximately 6,296-square-foot apartment offers four bedrooms and five bathrooms. The price per square foot jumped for apartment 23A, 26.5% from $8,038 to 10,165 square feet in a matter of months.
Amie Buchanan, a broker for the developer’s in-house sales team, represented the seller.
7) 730 Fifth Avenue #24A | $61,578,785
Likewise, the full-floor condo 24A in the Aman New York contains 6,296 square feet and sold for slightly less than its neighboring unit on February 5, 2024.
Hong Kong private equity executive Terence Chan, chairman of investment company Bay Area Capital Partners, bought the four-bedroom, five-bath, according to The Real Deal.
8) 4 East 79th Street | $56 million
The second single-family building to make the list takes us back to the Upper East Side, steps from Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum.
The Beaux Arts-style mansion has a storied past — a wealthy widow, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Nichols, was strangled to death there by her former butler, looking to steal her jewels in hidden safes, back in 1915.
Designed by C.P.H. Gilbert and built for Nichols and her self-made millionaire and wholesale grocer husband James E. Nichols, the seven-floor home was commissioned in 1898.
In the 1940s, the French Mission to the United Nations acquired the building and converted most of it into office space with a few apartments on the upper floors. It last traded in 1997 for $11.5 million.
Software entrepreneur and philanthropist Aso O. Tavitian restored the lavish building back to its original single-family home grandeur with six bedrooms, six bathrooms and four half bathrooms. He owned the 15,200-square-foot mansion until he died in 2020. His estate put the home on the market in 2023 for $65 million with Serena Boardman and Susan Baker of Sotheby’s International Realty.
The deal closed on Sept. 12.
9) 500 West 18th Street #PH36 |$47 million
West Penthouse 36 at One High Line, a nearly 7,000-square-foot residence features 360-degree views overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan skyline, in part thanks to a wraparound 4,870-square-foot terrace. The full-floor penthouse boasts six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms with a custom chef’s kitchen designed by Bulthaup.
A new development, One High Line, developed by Witkoff and Access Industries, provides owners with exclusive privileges from Faena Hotel and amenity spaces overlooking The High Line and the Hudson River.
With architecture from Bjarke Ingels Group and interior design by Gabellini Sheppard and Gilles et Boissier, the building offers private residential entrances to each tower and amenities such as a 75-foot lap pool and jacuzzi, spa with steam, sauna, and treatment rooms, a fitness center with private training studios, a golf simulator and virtual gaming, children’s playroom, private dining and games lounge.
Steve Gold, Deborah Kern and Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group represented both sides of the deal, which closed on December 3.
10) 217 West 57th Street #120 | $45,427,625
Lastly, back to the Central Park Tower in Midtown, where a five-bedroom five-and-a-half-bath condo sold just before the end of the year on Dec. 27.
With 11-foot tall floor-to-ceiling windows provide natural light and forever views from all directions. The Grand Salon features triple exposures, while the gourmet eat-in-kitchen benefits from corner views. Another highlight is the primary suite that takes up the entire western wing with a formal sitting room and an oversized bathroom with dual features.
Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group and Extel Marketing Group represented the listing.
This article will appear in the next issue of Dan’s Papers New York City.
