44 west 77th

I was going to go to that one too, just to see, but never do end up going. Anyway, yes, the east half has two floors of huge 1.5-story living rooms for three regular floors. The middle floor of the three therefore is shy that one room, though still pretty big. Like 1020 Fifth.

The west half has mirrored layouts, I think.

Don't know how the top varies from the rest.

I have the answer for you, my friend. I have wondered about the PH too (it looks amazing from below) and voila!
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/realestate/31habi.html?scp=2&sq=habitats%20latin%20america%20banker&st=cse

I was also curious b/c it is the neogothic Studio Building. But I didn't get to go either. This is an old write up of the building in the NYTimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/23/realestate/streetscapes-44-west-77th-street-restoration-of-an-altered-facade.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

nyc10023 - shackburgers on me!

"The 2,100-square-foot room in which they hang is larger than many suburban houses, with 24-foot ceilings, a gigantic fireplace on one side and the billboard-size window on the other."

That's exactly what I have imagined in must be like inside. Now to get invited to one of those small intimate gatherings for 350 . . . .

Thanks so much!

LOL, we'd been wondering about that PH apt (though it's listed as 13E on ACRIS) for years, precisely because it gets lit up frequently and you can see that it is one apt (not two) with extraordinarily high ceilings from the street.

I was so excited when I saw the NYT article. I immediately recognized it as the PH even though it is not identified as such because you can tell from the interior that the salon is not the regular salon on lower floors (with only 14'6" ceilings).

And weep at what used to be... http://books.google.com/books?id=9dPPEk7FUs8C&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=%22350+west+85th%22&source=bl&ots=Gk5DxwRhws&sig=uWltOJmxMN4tapxmKuul-or4o-c&hl=en&ei=8mMHSqfQK5HoMJXngKMD&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA53,M1

The old Alpern apartment-house book mentions that penthouse room as being 44' wide, while the back-to-back studios below are 22'.

I think Lesley Stahl lives in that building.

Hmm, based on ACRIS she lives in PHW.

nyc10023, great find, wouldn't have thought that'd be on Google Books. Never got it, as it seemed he was just rehashing from the earlier one, but it looks good.

I know my RE porn :) The other Harde example on the website, 350W85 (Red House) - do you have any more info other than what's on ACRIS?

No, just walked past a few times. It is pretty.

Truly top notch building (tough board, though). I used to own a unit next door at 40 West. Huge LR AND Salon both facing Museum head on in front, 3 brs in back (master about 23.5 by 14.5!!!!!!! that's bigger than a lot of prewar living rooms!!!!). This is how the other half (half= 0.01%) lives.

This apartment at $5,900,000 was on the market for $5,650,000 in 2004 (Acris down so I can't find the sales price). I'm actually a little surprised they allow open houses in this building - seems like the type which wouldn't allow them.

One thing I don't understand, though: usually buildings with this type of "1.5 height" salons has 3 versions of apartment in each line: an "up" (where the floor of the salon is the same level as the rest of the unit), a "down" unit (where the floor of the Salon is "sunken" .5 floors), and then a 3rd plan where there is no salon (remember, if you've got room which are 1.5 floors high, you only get 2 of them per every 3 floors). In the floorplans for this building, I have never seen that third type type.

looks like the owners of this apartment are (used to be?) employed by a large, currently insolvent bank.

Right, every third apt with no salon. Saw a plan for one years ago, but can't find it. That vestibule lets you bypass the dining room to get to the living room.

I saw #4E yesterday. Actually, I was half-expecting the doorman to turn me away; like 30yrs_RE, I think of 44 W77th as the sort of building that forbids open houses. As it turned out, the listing agent could not have been nicer. #4E is quite an apartment. Although it's priced under $6MM, it might compete for buyers in the money-is-no-object stratum. A buyer who needs to worry about costs would likely be scared off by the scaffolding, the ornamentation and the overall impression of money-pit risk - and I doubt the Board would approve such a buyer anyway.

West81st: I wanted to go, but Mother's Day festivities kept me away. Can you be more specific about 4E and its awesomeness? I suspect the Board is never going to approve another youngish finance buyer again - there has been very little turnover in this building.

10023: The front section is "awesome" in the literal sense: imposing, dramatic, almost daunting. I'll e-mail you more details tonight.

The PH described in the NYT article (13E) is on the market. Asking $20M.
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/725541-coop-44-west-77th-street-upper-west-side-new-york

That $20,000,000 duplex is really something.

WOWZA!
I'll take it but I want a discount for having to remove those black blobs with the numbers on them, on the hallway ceiling.

13E's studio is double the size of those on the 12th/10th/9th/7th/6th/3th/4th floors. Per the NYT, in 1939 the then-landlord took 14E's studio and added it to 13E's for Paul Trebilcock, a portrait painter.

It's also two floors high, rather than the 1.5 of those below.

Going by what apartments with and without the studio have sold for in recent years, a reasonable ask for 13E might be 8-10 million. Don't know how they came up 20.

Especially with those black blobs on the hallway ceiling.

Speaking of ornamentation, how is it that this building was allowed to remove all of its exterior trim on the front? It's now a sad shadow of what it once was. Wasn't it landmarked??