Anyone who lives or attends New York knows: just look up to understand that each palace tells a story. Behind many elegant Manhattan facades are extraordinary apartments, secret courtyards, centennial architectural details and often events that interweave finance, art, cinema and high society.
Over the years, thanks to the real estate in New York, I was lucky enough to enter many of these buildings. Not only visit them, but often sell apartments within them. It is an unpredictable privilege, because the reality is that most of these iconic buildings remain invisible from the inside: we see them from the street, maybe passing in front of us every day, but only a few lucky ones have the opportunity to cross the gate.
Precisely from this awareness today I want to take you into some of the most iconic buildings in New York: those in front of which you might have gone on a journey, those you might have photographed without knowing exactly what they were, or those who made you think who knows how it is to live there – I often ask myself.
Let’s start with a building not so well known but that for those who know Manhattan is one of the most fascinating addresses on the Upper West Side: The Apthorp.
A bit of history: built in 1908 by William Waldorf Astor, The Apthorp is one of the most elegant examples of Italian Renaissance Revival in New York. When you look at it from the street, it immediately hits the monumental stone facade and the almost “Roman” feeling of the building. It is no coincidence: the inspiration is that of Italian Renaissance buildings. But the real surprise comes when you enter. The Apthorp occupies an entire block between Broadway, West End Avenue and 78th and 79th Street, and in the center of the building opens a large inner courtyard that reminds me of the courtyards of my Milan. Manhattan, however, is an absolute rarity. Crossing the monumental gate and finding yourself in this almost silent space really gives the feeling of being away from the traffic of the city.
It is one of those moments when you understand why these buildings are so special: from outside they seem “only” beautiful historic buildings, but inside you discover a completely different world. The Apthorp has passed from being a prestigious residential building to one of the city’s most important conversion projects. In the 2000s, in fact, the building has been transformed into luxury condominium, with an important renovation that has maintained the historical character of the apartments introducing at the same time modern services. Today the building offers gym, spa, common spaces and high-level services, while maintaining those pre-war features that international buyers increasingly seek: high ceilings, large windows, elegant proportions and architectural details that today would be almost impossible to replicate.
From the market standpoint, The Apthorp continues to be one of the strongest addresses on the Upper West Side. In recent years the average price per square foot has moved between 2.500 and 2.800 dollars, with some sales of important apartments that have exceeded 20 million dollars. It is not only a matter of size or finishes: in these cases it is the address itself to have value. Those who buy here also buy the history of the palace and its reputation in the New York market. Personally I was lucky enough to sell an apartment in this building, and I can say that every time I enter a building like this I remember how unique the real estate market in New York is. It’s not just about buying a house: it’s often like getting into the city’s history.
Like many iconic Manhattan buildings, The Apthorp has also had well-known residents in the years. Among the names associated with the building are Al Pacino, writer and director Nora Ephron, singer Cyndi Lauper and actress Jennifer Hudson. One of the most fun stories about the building comes from the director and writer Nora Ephron. In a famous story about his life in the palace, the Ephron describes an almost surreal scene: two neighbors, both residents of this iconic building, one of Manhattan’s most elegant, ended up fighting fiercely for a bicycle left in a hallway. They also came to call the police. The writer tells that while all this happened, she watched the scene from her apartment thinking how paradoxical it was to live in one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan and still be in the same building dynamics of any building in the world. As we say: the whole world is a country.
But beyond celebrities, one of the most interesting aspects of these buildings is continuity: it is not uncommon that some families have lived here for decades, sometimes for generations. This creates a sense of community. And then there are the small chiques that often do not read in the real estate brochures: the courtyard that in the past was used for private events of the residents, the architectural details hidden in the corridors or the apartments with almost “palazziali” proportions that today are hardly found in the new buildings.
The next time you pass in front of an elegant building in Manhattan, maybe you will be spontaneous to ask yourself: who lives there? How are the apartments in? I promise we’ll try to find out in the next articles.
L’articolo Behind the door: travel inside The Apthorp, a hidden Manhattan icon comes from IlNewyorkese.
