The owners of the Upper West Side’s Lucerne Hotel, which controversially turned from an upscale inn into a homeless shelter during the pandemic, have snapped up an apartment building on Central Park.
An entity called 241 CPN LLC, whose address of 201 W. 79th St. matches the hotel’s and which appears to be operated by hotelier Sam Domb, has paid $8 million for 241 Central Park North, a 30-unit prewar property near the park’s northwestern corner in Harlem, according to a deed that appeared in the city register Tuesday.
The seller of the 6-story site near Central Park West, where a one-bedroom is currently asking about $3,000 a month, was Mann Realty Associates, a family-owned firm that has owned the building since 1982, based on the register. The all-cash deal went into contract Feb. 7 and closed April 1, records show.
Sam Domb, a Holocaust survivor and avid supporter of pro-Israel causes, purchased the Lucerne Hotel in 1994 through the company Grand America Associates, and he continues to own the 12-story, 200-room Beaux-Arts edifice at Amsterdam Avenue, based on the register.
Domb also controls Empire Hotel Group, which has three properties under its belt: West 38th Street’s Americana Inn, West 48th Street’s Belvedere Hotel and West 49th Street’s The Pearl. But some of his children, including son Ronald and daughter Michelle, are reportedly involved in the family business as well.
The Dombs have incrementally expanded their portfolio in recent years. Indeed, in 2016 they spent $64 million to acquire 242 W. 76th St. when it was known as The Milburn hotel. After a renovation that added a bar to the lobby the site operates as The Wallace hotel today.
What the Dombs have planned for 241 Central Park North, which brushes against the luxury condo Circa Central Park and also sits near the Cathedral Parkway stop on the B and C subway lines, is unclear. There are no permits on file with the Department of Buildings indicating a change of use at the site, which continues to market itself as a rental. In fact also available there is a two-bedroom at a rent of about $4,900, according to StreetEasy.
Efforts to reach the Dombs at the Lucerne office that appears to function as the headquarters of the family’s business and philanthropic dealings were unsuccessful by press time. A spokesman for the hotel declined to comment on the acquisition. Also a message left for Vinny Motwani, the Mann executive who signed the deed on behalf of the seller, was not returned.
In 2020 as the city grew concerned about the spread of Covid in crowded shelters, and as a lack of tourism left accommodations empty, Sam Domb installed nearly 300 homeless men in the Lucerne. But the move sparked a fierce pushback from neighbors concerned about the men’s public behavior and led to a threat of a lawsuit. Domb cleared the men out by the following year, and in late 2021 the Lucerne, which features the popular Nice Matin restaurant, resumed service as a traditional hotel.
Domb has recently been active on other real estate fronts as well. In July he sold his 6-story, seven-bedroom townhouse at 318 W. 81st St. for about $10 million after marketing it on and off for years.
