One of Manhattan’s oldest homes found a buyer last week as the number of luxury residential market sales slowed from earlier in the month.
A historic townhouse on Bedford Street in the West Village joined 31 other units under contract last week, five fewer than the previous week, according to the latest Olshan luxury market report, which tracks upmarket sales for more than $4 million.
The Bedford Street home, reportedly built in 1800, came on the market in January. Husband-and-wife duo Angelina Fiordellisi, former owner of Cherry Lane Theater playhouse, and TV show creator Matt Williams, known for Roseanne, listed the 4-story, 3,600-square-foot landmark for $12 million. Its final sale price is not yet known.
The couple bought the brick-and-clapboard corner property in 2013 for $7.4 million. The home, called the Isaacs-Hendricks House in part after an early occupant, features four bedrooms, six fireplaces, wide-plank floors and a small terrace. The house has mostly functioned as a home since its construction, distinct from some of the city’s other oldest buildings. The 1784 Dyckman farmhouse in Inwood, for example, is currently a museum.
The property closed quicker than might be expected given that similar townhouses have taken several months and a couple of price reductions to sell. The high interest rate environment has caused pricey homes to linger on the market, but the Isaacs-Hendricks House sale may be the sign of a positive trend.
Despite the weekly decline in sales activity, this month the luxury market picked up slightly from February and is on track to beat out last March’s total of 150 sales greater than $4 million.
The biggest deal during the week of March 17 to 23 was for a five-bedroom co-op sponsor unit on a high floor of West 57th Street’s Central Park Tower, advertised as the world’s tallest residential building. Marketing materials for the 7,074-square-foot apartment advertise sweeping Central Park views and a litany of luxury amenities, including indoor and outdoor pools and a ballroom. It was most recently listed at $52.9 million, more than 17% less than it was listed for based on floorplans in 2018.
Sponsor units made up nearly half of the 25 condos sold last week, with many taking steep discounts, according to the Olshan report. Buyers snapped up units for an average of 20% off their original asking prices, as sponsor homes lingered on the market for a little less than five years on average.
Condos continued to dominate the luxury market, beating out sales of co-ops 25-2. The Bedford Street townhouse joined only one other in its category.
Further east on 57th Street from Central Park Tower, a seller landed the second-most-expensive deal of the week: a three-bedroom, 4,492-square-foot condo in the tower on the site of the former Steinway & Sons piano store. The seller most recently asked almost $23.8 million, down from $24.5 million when it was first listed in September and from the $26.5 million it was purchased for in October 2022.
Units in the building have dominated luxury listings this year, with five weeks among the two most expensive deals.
