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Robert Durst’s childhood home lists for $3.8M

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From left: Robert Durst and 27 Hampton Road in Scarsdale

From left: Robert Durst and 27 Hampton Road in Scarsdale

Robert Durst’s childhood home is on the market for $3.8 million.

The Scarsdale home, a Normandy stone Tudor at 27 Hampton Road, includes seven bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms and a three-car garage, according to the New York Post.

The home — where Douglas Durst, Durst Organization chair and Robert’s younger brother, also grew up — makes an appearance in HBO’s “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” as the site where Robert’s mother fell from the roof to her death.

Durst was arrested in New Orleans last month, on charges related to the 2000 murder on his friend Susan Berman in Los Angeles and is currently being held in a psychiatric facility. [NYP] — Claire Moses


Torkian Group buys Midtown rental building from Douglaston for $72M

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From left: the Cameo at 311 West 50th Street and Jeff Levine

From left: the Cameo at 311 West 50th Street and Jeff Levine

Hersel Torkian’s the Torkian Group bought the Cameo, a luxury residential building in Midtown West, for $72 million from Jeffrey Levine’s Douglaston Development, according to records filed with the city today.

The seven-story building, located at 311 West 50th Street, includes 102 rental units across more than 79,000 square feet of residential space. The building also includes 2,000 square feet of office space.

In 2013, Douglaston settled with its lender U.S. Bank National after refinancing a troubled loan at the rental building, as The Real Deal previously reported. Levine Builders, an affiliate of Douglaston, acquired the building in 2000.

The Torkian Group has been active over the last year. In September, it filed plans to build a 202-unit, 35-story residential tower at the former site of an ICON parking garage on West 33rd Street. In October 2014, it bought a 14-story building at 110-112 Greenwich Street for $53 million.

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Powered by commercial mortgage brokerage Eastern Union, The Real Deal‘s new directory puts the name of brokers, appraisers, mortgage bankers and other real estate professionals all in one place.

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Brooklyn Health Center: A nerd of a building in the land of hipsters

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Rendering of

Rendering of 620 Fulton Street (Credit: Francis Cauffman)

In the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, a mixed-use commercial building is set to rise. The groundbreaking ceremony was held last month, with Mayor Bill De Blasio in attendance, for the new home of the Brooklyn Health Center, which serves the city’s hotel workers union and will occupy five floors of the building at 620 Fulton Street.

That prospect, though worthy, probably doesn’t sound all that exciting, because it isn’t, and the building matches one’s expectations. It was designed by the firm of Francis Cauffman, whose serviceable institutional structures have been boring the good people of Philadelphia since the 1950s. Now, apparently, it is our turn here in New York.

The new 12-story building at 620 Fulton can best be described as deconstructivist, in the sense that it embraces asymmetry both in its massing and in the treatment of its surfaces. But that stab at being contemporary, rather than showing how up-to-date this inveterate firm can be, serves only to reveal to us how mainstream the once radical style of deconstructivism has now become.

Gussying up a curtain-wall with flange-like appendages was old a decade ago– even then it didn’t make much visual or thematic sense. And yet there it is on the surface of the soon-to-be Brooklyn Health Center, as though the architects spontaneously thought it up. A complicated interplay of layers, variously treated, floats across the somewhat squat massing of the building, which is hardly endowed with additional interest through the inclusion of one setback on the fifth floor and another at the top. One entire side of the building, which is scheduled for completion in 2016, will be left flat and windowless and is to be adorned by a massive mural.

To date, the firm of Francis Cauffman has worked exclusively on institutional projects, including the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., the GlaxoSmithKline office at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and the Institute Hall at the Rochester Institute of Technology. All are different from each other in form and conception. But, alas, all are ultimately the same: institutional buildings that have assimilated some stalled modernist tricks of light and spatial flow, but that, from a formal perspective, have little to recommend them beyond their dazzling adequacy.

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Extell to scale down skyscraper at 250 South Street

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From left: Gary Barnett and an on-site rendering of 250 South Street

From left: Gary Barnett (credit: STUDIO SCRIVO) and an on-site rendering of 250 South Street

Gary Barnett’s Extell Development is looking to downsize the scope of its proposed tower at 250 South Street in Lower Manhattan.

The developer is looking to change the height of the building on the former Pathmark site to 56 stories from 71, which comes down to roughly 100 feet, according to Bowery Boogie. The building will include 646 residential units across more than 748,000 square feet, according to the website. The building is set to include 25,516 square feet for commercial use.

Some of the amenities that were originally proposed — a bowling alley and Turkish baths — were also canceled. The building’s plans still include a pool, a residential lounge and a fitness center in the basement.

The building would still be much taller than the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood. [Bowery Boogie] Claire Moses 

 

 

Adam America plans 21-story condo building in Brooklyn

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From left: Dvir Cohen Hoshen and 319 Schermerhorn Street

From left: Dvir Cohen Hoshen and 319 Schermerhorn Street

Adam America Real Estate bought a residential development site in Downtown Brooklyn with plans of building a 21-story condominium building.

The real estate firm bought 319 Schermerhorn Street from SC Nevins, according to Crain’s. The price of the lot on the border of Downtown Brooklyn and Boerum Hill was not disclosed.

Adam America is looking to build the new, 87,445-square-foot tower in cooperation with the Naveh Shuster Group.

With its proximity to the Barclays Center, “this couldn’t be a more prime location for high-end condos and first-rate retail space,” Adam America co-founder Dvir Cohen Hoshen told the website. [Crain’s] — Claire Moses

Hidrock sells stake in 16-story Courtyard by Marriott

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Courtyard Marriott

960 Sixth Avenue in Herald Square (inset: Steven Hidary)

Hidrock Realty has sold its controlling interest in a 16-story Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Herald Square in a deal that values the property at $132 million, The Real Deal has learned.

An unidentified foreign investor with a small stake in the 102,000-square-foot building at 960 Sixth Avenue, near West 35th Street, bought out Hidrock to take majority ownership, said Hidrock COO Steven Hidary.

The development firm acquired a note secured by the largely vacant office building in 2010 for $40 million in a foreclosure auction. The property, once home to the Atlantic Bank of New York, underwent a conversion into a 167-key hotel and reopened in 2012.

The property also contains a three-story BankUnited branch at the base and Monarch Rooftop Bar. BankUnited occupies 10,000 square feet, while Monarch occupies 5,000 square feet.

There were no brokers involved with the deal, Hidary said.

“Hidrock’s objective was to add value to the property and we perfectly executed our business plan,” he added.

Just last month, Hidrock bought three Chelsea rental buildings for $35.5 million, as TRD reported.


Class A office tower sales accelerate

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550 Madison Avenue

550 Madison Avenue

From the April issue:  Large Manhattan Class A office building sales are on fire. In a rebound following several slow years, 12 towers worth nearly $9 billion combined sold or went into contract in the first quarter of 2015 alone, far outpacing the rate for the past four years. In comparison, from 2010 to 2014, between 14 and 16 office skyscrapers worth a combined $4.7 billion to $10.6 billion sold each year, an analysis of data from Real Capital Analytics showed. [more]

Lil Wayne lists La Gorce mansion for $18M

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La Gorce Island home and Lil Wayne

94 La Gorce Circle on La Gorce Island in Miami Beach and Lil Wayne

From the South Florida website: Rapper Lil Wayne put his La Gorce Island mansion on the market for $18 million.

The nine-bedroom, 10-bathroom Miami Beach home was listed yesterday, TMZ first reported.

The rapper paid $11.6 million for the property in August 2011 through an LLC, according to Miami-Dade property records. The three-story 15,000-square-foot mansion was built in 2004 and includes a pool, glass elevator and 120 feet of bay frontage.

Ty Forkner of South Beach International Realty has the listing for 94 La Gorce Circle. In March, calls of a shooting at the house were placed to Miami Beach police. It turned out to be a hoax.

Incommunicado: William Raveis CEO accuses Elliman of blocking incoming email

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DottieHermanHowardLorberBillRaveisPaulPurcell

From left: Dottie Herman, Howard Lorber, Bill Raveis and Paul Purcell

Is all fair in love and real estate?

A heated battle for brokers is pitting Douglas Elliman against suburban powerhouse William Raveis, with Raveis accusing Elliman of blocking all emails coming from the firm. For its part, Elliman says Raveis sent a mass email to its brokers in New York City in an attempt to poach agents.

According to Raveis, Elliman began blocking its emails after 13 Elliman agents in Westchester defected to William Raveis about a fortnight ago. Elliman subsequently “shut us off on our email,” Bill Raveis, Chairman and CEO of William Raveis, told The Real Deal during an interview in the firm’s Midtown Manhattan office.

Representatives from Douglas Elliman, however, say William Raveis stirred the pot when it sent a mass email to Elliman’s agents, suggesting they come work for Raveis, which launched in Manhattan last year.

Both firms offered up evidence they said proved the other was not being truthful.

At least three emails sent by William Raveis to individual Elliman agents were sent back undelivered, according to copies of the emails reviewed by TRD. Representatives for Elliman cited a report, run by the firm’s IT staff on Thursday, that show scores of successfully delivered emails.

Kathy Braddock and Paul Purcell, co-managing directors of William Raveis NYC, said Elliman agents in Westchester felt they were being ignored by the main office in New York City. “Raveis has been increasingly successful in Westchester…. There are dissatisfied agents who were at Douglas Elliman,” Braddock said.

Purcell, a former president of Douglas Elliman in New York, said agents in the suburbs “are the redheaded bastard stepchildren” of the company. During his time at Elliman, he added, “I always felt I was hurting them. I didn’t give them what they needed. It can’t be any different now.”

While Raveis characterized Elliman’s actions as a “baby tantrum,” Purcell said it’s an “affront to buyers and sellers in New York City.”

The spat comes as both brokerages have been expanding into each other’s territory.

Elliman tapped Roberto Vanucchi, a former sales director at William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, to lead its expansion in Connecticut. Last year, the firm opened an office in Scarsdale, N.Y., as well as Beverly Hills.  “We go where our clients want to be,” CEO Dottie Herman said in a statement at the time.

Meanwhile, William Raveis launched a New York City office last year, and has so far seen mixed results. After hiring some big names in the brokerage community, including Corcoran Group’s Fabienne Lecole and Halstead Property’s Julia Boland, Lecole and Boland both defected to Corcoran last month.

Bill Raveis was optimistic his firm would emerge the victor. “I have great admiration for everyone at Elliman,” he said. “They’ll eventually be out of Westchester County.”

Witnesses fail to show at Durst’s first New Orleans hearing

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DeGeurin Durst

From left: Robert Durst and Dick DeGuerin

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents failed to show up to a scheduled court hearing for Robert Durst in New Orleans on Thursday.

Durst’s attorneys wanted to question the agents, according to Reuters, arguing that Durst’s arrest and the search of his hotel room — where authorities found marijuana and a gun — were done without a valid warrant.

Durst’s defense lawyer Dick DeGuerin claimed that prosecutors played “a game of hide the ball” after telling the federal agents not to show up to the hearing because more time to prepare a case was needed, Reuters reported.

Durst is stuck in New Orleans — he is being held in a psychiatric facility and has been put on suicide watch — until he gets extradited to Los Angeles to face charges related to the murder on his friend Susan Berman, who was shot in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in 2000.

Durst was heard whispering that he “killed them all, of course” during the finale of “The Jinx,” an HBO documentary series about his life.

The hearing has been delayed until April 9. [Reuters]Claire Moses

 

 

Normandy sells seven Bronx buildings to Black Spruce for $58M

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From left: 1511 Sheridan Avenue and 2401 Davidson Avenue

From left: 1511 Sheridan Avenue and 2401 Davidson Avenue in the Bronx

UPDATED, 2:45 p.m. April 3: Normandy Real Estate sold seven Bronx properties of a 42-building portfolio for nearly $58 million, according to property records filed with the city today.

Midtown-based Black Spruce Management is the buyer of the rental buildings located at 1511-1521 Sheridan Avenue, 265-269 East 194th Street, 1967-1971 Marmion Avenue, 709-715 Fairmont Place, 2401 Davidson Avenue, 2391 Davidson Avenue and 51 Buchanan Place.

Normandy and Westbrook Partners reached an agreement with Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to replace the management in the buildings, after the properties racked up hundreds of housing code violations. Tenants had sued the current landlords, as well as former owner David Kramer and his Colonial Management, for overcharges and illegal fees.

As part of the agreement, tenants in the 1,700 affordable apartments in the portfolio received a one-time $600 rent rebate.

$65M home at 71 Franklin to be Downtown’s priciest townhouse listing

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71 Franklin Street

A rendering of 71 Franklin Street

A five-story property at 71 Franklin Street in Tribeca is hitting the market for $65 million, which will make it the priciest townhouse listing in Downtown.

Compass broker Leonard Steinberg announced the record-setting listing of the 20,000-square-foot home on his Instagram account. The current record for most expensive condo sold below Canal Street is a penthouse apartment at 145 Hudson Street for $30.1 million.

The seven-bedroom home is located near Shigeru Ban’s Cast Iron House as well as Herzog and DeMeuron’s 56 Leonard. The listing boasts a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a 52-foot-wide mega-residence.” Architect Wayne Turett has designed plans to convert the building, which currently holds eight residential units and two retail units. The building can also be purchased “as is,” according to the listing, for an undisclosed price.

Steinberg and Hervé Senequier have the listing.

“Never before has a property of this scale come to market,” Steinberg also wrote.

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“Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander is heading to East Hampton

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Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander may not be as neurotic as George Costanza in real life, but it’s still nice to imagine the curmudgeon is getting a much-needed beachside vacation.

The “Seinfeld” star will be renting a four-bedroom, traditional East Hampton home for $140,000 this summer, according to the New York Post. The manse was built in 1999 and features a heated pool.

Randi Ball of the Corcoran Group represented Alexander and declined to comment.

Check out the most memorable “Seinfeld” episodes related to New York City real estate here. [NYP] – Tess Hofmann

 

FiDi residents fight W&L’s light-up hotel idea

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Rendering of 8-12 Maiden Lane in the Financial District (credit: Gene Kaufman)

Rendering of 8-12 Maiden Lane (credit: Gene Kaufman)

Financial District neighbors are used to chaos during the day, but surprisingly conservative when it comes to nighttime disruptions.

At a Community Board 1 meeting on Wednesday night, residents expressed concern about the Gene Kaufman-designed, W&L Group Construction-developed Indigo Hotel, whose façade would act as a clock, lighting up gradually until it reaches full brightness at midnight, according to Curbed.

Demolition is expected to begin at the site in mid-April, with construction slated for this fall. The 24-story building would light up floor-by-floor. Renderings were released in September.

“No doubt about it, it’s going to be obnoxious,” said one community resident at the meeting. Another added, “We don’t need the extra illumination.”

The board asked the developers to return next month with ideas for how to lessen the impact of the lighting and the inconvenience caused by construction. [Curbed] — Tess Hofmann

The Wrap: Eklund marketing $4M “skyhouses” atop Williamsberry, Americans can use Airbnb in Cuba … and more

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Rendering of a "sky house" unit at 338 Berry Street in Williamsburg

Rendering of a “sky house” unit at 338 Berry Street in Williamsburg (credit: DXA Studio)

1. Eklund marketing $4 million “skyhouses” atop Williamsberry [Gothamist]
2. Americans can use Airbnb in Cuba [Business Insider]
3. Bessie Giannopulos-developed LIC condo renderings revealed [NY YIMBY]
4. The hunt for Lady Gaga’s perfect Upper West Side penthouse [NYP]
5. Sale of Brooklyn Nets placed on hold while owner seeks $3 billion valuation [Forbes]
6. “Ghost” house in Soho hits the market for $10.5 million [NYP]

Tess Hofmann

Grace’s Marketplace family buys Carnegie Hill retail for $30M

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1273 Broadway

From left: 1273-1281 Madison Avenue in Carnegie Hill and Richard Wagman (credit: Bisnow)

The Doria family picked up a retail condominium at the base of a 10-story Carnegie Hill building for $30 million, The Real Deal has learned.

The founders of the gourmet grocery store Grace’s Marketplace added to their retail portfolio with a roughly 8,000-square-foot space at 1273-1281 Madison Avenue, also known as 47 East 91st Street, according to sources familiar with the deal. Madison Capital, led by Richard Wagman and J. Joseph Jacobson, and equity partner Prudential Real Estate Investors owned the unit, which is fully occupied by a Citibank branch.

Moshe Majeski of the Moshe Group represented both the buyer and the seller. Majeski declined to comment, while the buyer’s attorney Philip Bornstein could not be reached.

The condo last sold for $20.3 million in 2013, as TRD reported.

In 2004, Cary Tamarkin’s the Tamarkin Company finished developing the roughly 44,000-square-foot residential condo building, which has seven full-floor units and a duplex penthouse.

Local community activists, including Woody Allen, had protested Tamarkin’s plans to develop a 17-story condo building, leading him to build a smaller version.

In February, the Dorias closed on a retail space at a 12-story building at 261 Broadway in Tribeca.

Penciling out the penthouses

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054TRD0415

(Credit: Noah McDonough)

From the April issue: Years before anyone called 57th Street “Billionaire’s Row,” developer Gary Barnett was gunning for a sales record at his Christian de Portzamparc-designed One57 in Midtown. In December, he got his wish, when his top penthouse sold for $100.5 million, setting a record for the most expensive apartment ever sold in Manhattan. [more]

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