809 Riverside Drive

mimi is a bad person who would evict a tenant in this building if it suited her. mimi comes off as nice and squeezable, but is more harsh than the overwhelming majority of SE posters and readers.

I live on the block. Beautiful place and I think it has a 3 car garage. Maybe not super quiet because of the traffic but a very very sweet spot. I believe it also has a large terrace.

OMG, I have been looking at that place and always wondered what is up with is....it looks amazing from the outside...agree on the traffic though, you are right at the intersection where cars come up from the highway, and there is a light on the hill, so I would assume lots of stopping, starting, revving engines etc....
but still, wow!!!!

Is that where The Royal Tenenbaums was filmed? I like to think this but I suspect I'm wrong ....

Apparently the owner has been planning on selling since at least 2004:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/30/realestate/streetscapes-readers-questions-macy-s-building-cafeteria-2-riverside-drive.html?pagewanted=2

I don't think the Royal Tenenbaums was filmed at this house...
I think that house is on the UWS.
However, the movie does have several scenes from the Trinity graveyard nearby on 155th and RSD

OMG..this place is awesome and I'm not a townhouse type. Would want to add some bathrooms though and I suspect other reno is needed, price is too good even in that area for "move in" condition.

it looks like it's falling apart, 0 privacy, no light after noon... been there.

Still -- this will be a labor of love for somebody.

Royal Tenenbaums was filmed at Convent Ave @ 144th st- not at 809 Riverside Dr.

For those who have seen the place, any idea of what the renovation would cost? Also, do you think the value post renovation would justify the price?

* Looks like the exterior walls have problems (pointing is required, at least, but the wall over the garage looked like it was about to fall down)
* The roof is in trouble as well (some of the walls were moist - leak in the spanish tile roof?)
* Every fixture needs replacing, including the kitchen cabinets, etc. Bathrooms downstairs needs to be completely built from scratch.
* Every window and door needs to be replaced - does the landmark status make this more expensive?
* Lead paint, asbestos, 50 year old electric, 100 year old plumbing
* I saw some mold on the moist walls in the living room
* Lots of other random stuff needs to be done.

With a $1.1 million price, plus $500K to $1.0 million on renovation, the house would have $1.6 million to $2.1 million in.

I looked at it as well... A huge job. My contractor said that there were structural issues with the floor in the solarium, off the living room, and that would need to hoisted up from below. There's major water damage (in living room and upstairs, in the walls, tho we didn't get on the roof). I've heard asbestos is expensive to fix... Any ideas? I don't think the electric would need to be done though... It looked relatively new... Also, you would need approval by the landmark dept before changing any windows (at least in the front), and you'd have to basically have them custom made, since they have to be the same as what's in there. $$$ But what an incredible place!

I dropped out of a bidding "war" last week. I think the winner is probably in the $1.0 million range. Offer has been accepted. Electric was from the 50s and would need to be upgraded if you want a modern level of light and appliances. What finally put us over the edge was: (1) our inability to accurately estimate the renovations, (2) uncertainty around how we would secure the windows / doors / garage (simply no security (i.e., bars) and the landmark issues were looming), (3) with no real comps, we couldn't make a call on the post-renovation value. We have refocused on traditional townhouses in central harlem... best of luck to the "winning" bidder.

(2) uncertainty around how we would secure the windows / doors / garage (simply no security (i.e., bars) and the landmark issues were looming)

BINGO! using a key to enter this house seems optional. it looks like a good target to train beginners into the robbery biz. no thank you! just out of curiosity, did you ask how many times (if so) was this house broken into? is it easy to find this info as a potential buyer given the seller's incentive to lie about this?