Flatiron District and Gramercy Park
The Flatiron District has undergone some serious changes in recent years, with additions like Mario Batali’s Eataly food complex, the renaissance of Madison Square Park and new developments like 15 Union Square West and the Cammeyer bringing condo dwellers to the area. When it comes to Gramercy Park, however, the luxury sales are clustered around that exclusive stretch of green that gives the neighborhood its name.
In February of last year, Corcoran senior vice president Tim Cass sold a duplex penthouse at 50 Gramercy Park North belonging to the Icelandic retail tycoon Jon Asgeir Johannesson for $22 million. Now, the Icelandic LLC–like entity that bought the apartment appears to be attempting to flip it, looking to Cass again to help. Johannesson listed the unit in June for $21.4 million. It was then taken off the market, and then relisted in January after a 12 percent price cut. Cass declined to discuss the transaction.
Meanwhile, Aligned Real Estate founders Jonathan Isaacs and Steven Ganz, formerly of Core, handled the $14.6 million sale of the 10,000-square-foot duplex penthouse at 31 West 21st Street featured in the film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” The seller was financier Richard Weissman, who paid $1.4 million for the pad in 2003. While the unit’s star turn garnered some attention, it didn’t bump up the price, Isaacs explained. “Somebody at that price point isn’t buying based on the movie,” he said.
Speaking of star power, at least when it comes to real estate, Lisa Simonsen got her fair share of attention last year for brokering the apparently off-market $48 million sale of a combination unit at the Plaza acquired by Igor Krutoy, the founder of Russian MTV, touted as the most expensive condo sale in New York’s history (see above). But it was a smaller deal at 50 Gramercy Park North that put her on the ranking in this neighborhood.
Simonsen sold a three-bedroom unit for money manager Thomas Marsico, who was twice named to Forbes’ list of the 400 Richest Americans, for $7 million. The buyer was an LLC, but news reports indicated that actor Jennifer Aniston was behind the purchase. She had toured an apartment in the building in the summer.
Like Johannesson’s former home, the residence sits atop the Gramercy Park Hotel, the posh conversion backed by Ian Schrager and designed by John Pawson that bestows upon owners a key to the private park. Simonsen, who touts her “highly discreet” service on her firm profile, did not return a request for comment.
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