Stanhope By Me
Chichi former hotel offers prime address across from the Met - and units for $10 million and up
IF being across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art at 81st Street isn't enough, the 26-unit Stanhope Residences will offer buyers a taste of royalty in the work of London's John Simpson. He's the architect who added the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace to mark Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002,
The former Stanhope Hotel itself had many brushes with America's aristocracy and A-list. John F. Kennedy Jr. holed up there when he and wife Caroline hit a stretch of marital chill. Marlene Dietrich pal Greta Keller crooned in the hotel lounge weekly.
And now, for a hefty price tag, you can set up house there.
Originally built in 1926 by famed architect Rosario Candela, the Stanhope is one of the latest examples of luxury hotel turning into even more luxurious residential building.
"To get the opportunity to purchase a Candela building and what is the last development opportunity on Fifth Avenue was irresistible," says Gary Barnett, president of Extell Development, which purchased the Stanhope for a reported $79 million in 2005 after its 80-year run as a hotel.
"I've been in the business for 20 years and, unequivocally, this is the most unique and certainly the most extraordinary new development I've ever seen," says Corcoran Group Senior Vice President Sharon Baum, who has the exclusive listings. "Real estate has always been about location ... but the Stanhope comes with so many choices for layouts and finishes."
Buyers are invited to customize units with their preferred finishes from a list of materials selected by Simpson, such as stone, granite and plasterwork. Early buyers can even customize layouts to their specific needs. They'll have a lot of space to work with.
Offering units from 4,118 square feet to 8,360 square feet, the South Residences feature drawing rooms, formal dining rooms and massive kitchens. There are also Miele coffee/espresso systems incorporated into large kitchen-area family rooms.
The equally spacious four-bedroom North Residences ar come with butler's pantries and wine closets. Three eight-bedroom, full-floor residences feature libraries and sitting rooms with wood-burning fireplaces, media rooms, staff rooms and double-sinked bathrooms. A duplex penthouse with a fireplace has 5,000 square feet of outdoor space.
Prices will range from $10 million to $47 million, not counting nine lobby-level studios that are for sale to residents only (starting at just under $1 million) as an option for staff, guests or an office. All units have 150-year land-leases - making it a co-op conversion with condo rules. What's that mean for you? How about buying or selling without board hassles.
If you like wine, the Stanhope features a not-offered-anywhere-else resident sommelier overseeing a state-of-the-art cellar. The 120-bottle locked caves are part of each home's purchase price.
Other amenities include a home technology consultant for all those times when you need somebody to fix your Internet access. Bbuyers will be offered 52 complimentary personal training sessions and 52 massage sessions per year courtesy of La Palestra, the on-site fitness center.