Award-winning movie maker Akiva Goldsman, who has helped create Star Trek spin-offs, has beamed down in West Chelsea.
The writer, director and producer and his wife, actress Joann Goldsman, have purchased a four-bedroom unit at the Cortland, a West Chelsea condo from The Related Cos. and Mitsui Fudosan America that has flown somewhat under the radar since its pandemic-era launch.
The 3,000-square-foot unit, which has four and a half baths, floor-to-ceiling windows and three exposures, cost $11 million, according to a deed that appeared in the city register Thursday.
The unit’s price per square foot, $3,700, puts the deal in the upper tier of new condo sales. In fact, in the fourth quarter of 2024 in Manhattan, the average sale price was about $2,800 per foot, up 32% in a year, according to data from the brokerage Douglas Elliman.
With the sale, the 144-unit Cortland now appears to be about 75% sold, more than three years after sales began in April 2022. Indeed, on Thursday 106 of the 144 units had found takers, according to an analysis of sales data in the register, a decent result at a time when high interest rates continue to weigh on activity.
Related and Mitsui, a subsidiary of one of the top developers in Japan, stand to make $906 million in revenue from sales of the studio to five-bedroom units at the Cortland, according to the condo’s offering plan, which was filed in 2019 and approved in 2021, state records show. Robert A. M. Stern Architects designed the exterior of the 26-story condo, which has a 75-foot-long indoor pool, a squash court and a driveway for discreet pickups and drop-offs. Seattle-headquartered architecture firm Olson Kundig styled the interiors.
In 2002 Akiva Goldsman won an Oscar in the adapted screenplay category for his script for the drama A Beautiful Mind, though he’s perhaps best known for his science-fiction work, including helping develop the streaming Star Trek franchise Star Trek: Picard for Paramount+. Other credits include Stephen King adaptations, Batman movies and the Fox supernatural series Fringe. Goldsman could not be reached by press time.
The Jeff Blau-led Related, which declined to comment by press time, first listed Goldsman’s apartment for $11.3 million in May before ultimately inking a contract for it in October for slightly less, according to StreetEasy. The deal closed Dec. 27, the register shows.
On Friday 13 sponsor units were listed, ranging from a two-bedroom for $3.9 million to a four-bedroom for $12 million, StreetEasy showed, though one resale was available as well.
Related and Mistui have teamed in the city before, including 50 Hudson Yards, a 58-story office tower at the Hudson Yards megaproject. Mitsui, whose roots date to a clothing company founded in 1673 and which has invested in New York since the 1970s, also has rental towers and hotels in its portfolio.
Related has recently sold several small rental buildings in Brooklyn at a loss, after tough pro-renter laws appear to have dashed efforts to upgrade the sites and boost their rents. A push to build a casino in Hudson Yards has also hit hurdles. Last week Manhattan Community Board 4 voted to reject the zoning changes that Related, among the country’s biggest and best-known developers, says it needs to construct the three-towered complex that would house the gaming facility.
