Thursday, April 24, 2008

Kevin Spacey Selling His Penthouse Spacey


SELLER: Kevin Spacey
LOCATION: Harrison Street, New York, NY
PRICE: $4,675,000 (taxes/maintenance=$2,489 per month)
SIZE: 2,363 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Occupying the top 2 floors in this 5 apartment condo; A sprawling 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath duplex penthouse with every convenience you could ever want. A complete Crestron system controls the window shades, lighting, entertainment system and internet. The wrap around terrace has open views, built-in grill, planters at every turn, custom lighting, sound system, timed irrigation system and retractable awnings. A perfect oasis for outdoor dining and lounging.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: According to the always too well informed real estate gossip Braden Keil who pens the Gimme Shelter column for the New York Post, two-time academy award winning film actor and noted thespian Kevin Spacey has karate chopped the asking price of his TriBeCa digs from nearly $4,995,000 to $4,675,000. Now kids, we're not embarrassed to tell you this was entirely new news to Your Mama. Not only were we totally ignorant to the fact that Mister Spacey owns property in New York City, we also didn't know this duplex condominium–which we have actually viewed online several times because we're sorta fond of the layout and 900 square foot terrace–actually belongs to someone as rich, famous and sexually ambiguous as Mister Spacey.

Property records for the 2,363 square foot building topper that rides astride a small boo-teek building on Harrison Street are a bit murky...at least Your Mama found them to be a wee difficult to parse during the early morning pre-caffeine hours. Most records indicate that Mister Spacey purchased the 3 bedroom and 2.5 bathroom condo in August of 2000 for an undisclosed sum of money. However, we also find records that indicate he coughed up $3,135,000 for the place in October of 2004. So who knows? We're sure that Mister Big Time can sort that out with his exceedingly powerful Lexis Nexis thing and we'll just update the information then.

A quick glance at the photos and it's obvious Mister Spacey hired himself a nice gay decorator to fill his penthouse with sleek, expensive and mostly beige and brown furniture and cabinetry. While ordinarily Your Mama poo-poos an all beige color scheme, we can live with this one because we know deep down in the points of our art loving toes that this place would benefit greatly from some vividly colored paintings and over-saturated photographs.

The layout on the other hand we like quite a bit. The bottom of the stairs cascading directly into the elevator entrance concerns us because according to the feng shui that could encourage the owner's money to run right out the front door. Otherwise Your Mama is rather fond of the modest and comfortable scale of the rooms, the smart separation of public spaces from private ones, and most especially the location of the master bedroom on it's own private floor which means that guests and hosts, while literally on top of each other, are unlikely to feel that way...at least if proper soundproofing was put into the floors. Given that the apartment is kitted and fitted with a high powered and high cost Crestron system that listing information indicates controls everything but the kitchen sink, we can't imagine that Mister Spacey didn't properly insulate and soundproof.

Like dinner guests who have an unexpected onset of diarrhea, Your Mama is breathing a sincere sigh of relief that all the bathrooms have windows. While the closet space is somewhat limited for a full time resident, as a pied a terre there seems plenty of space to stash the cashmere coats and winter boots. We're not surprised the the natty dressing Mister Spacey chose to decrease the size of the bedroom area of the master in order to increase the closet space and create a small dressing area. Your Mama is of the mind set more square footage in master bedrooms ought to be devoted to closets and bathrooms than the actual bedroom area as all most people do in their bedrooms is sleep and fornicate.

The well planted and appointed wrap around terrace has both Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter swooning with envy. We love the small private terrace off the master bedroom and the built in barbecue that is noted in the listing is perfect for warm summers of grillin' and chillin' with all our tan and good looking lezbeeun ladee pals. The only feature that we think might make this roof top oasis even more enviable is an outdoor shower private enough that you're neighbors could not see you washing your naughty bits. Don't scoff children, there are more outdoor showers installed on roof top terraces in Manhattan than you might think.

Although Your Mama isn't a big fan of living in TriBeCa, it's become very popular among 30 something Wall Streeters with giant wads of cash as well as celebrities with similar sized bank accounts. None the less, Your Mama is just not certain if there is a nearby park where Mister Spacey can "walk his dog" at four in the morning.

Property records also show that Mister Spacey also owns a large home on Live Oak Drive in Los Feliz's The Oaks neighborhood that features an oval swimming pool and a long, tree lined celebrity style driveway. Given that he's also the Artistic Director of the legendary Old Vic Theatre Company in London, Your Mama imagines but can not confirm that he has a crib across the pond too.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to see pictures of the study. The condo is listed as a 3 BR, but I only see 2 BRs + study, which doesn't have a closet. In Maryland (where I live), one legal requirement for a room to be a called a BR is to have a closet!

The study/BR is larger than BR #2. It also looks like he has a desk area built in, which I'd love to see.

I love this blog, Mama!

Alessandra said...

Agree that a proper bedroom has a closet and a window. This study has one and not the other. Not hard to add a closet, though. If title shows 3 bedrooms, someone may have removed the closet for some bizarro world reason (more closets are always good in my world).

Love the master bedroom suite with the generous terrace. What a wonderful way to greet the morning or welcome the evening!

It is just a little quirky, yet very livable.

Anonymous said...

Normally, I'm here for the real estate...interest in buyers / sellers not so much. Mr. Spacey falls into a small handful of artists whose work I adore. He is sooo bloody cute – and sooo talented.

As an aside, his Newfoundland-based film, The Shipping News brought alive ancestral roots I would have otherwise never truly known. Flip side, the book was sheer agony (snoozer) to complete. Odd how things balance out.

I digress. Love this floorplan and the absolutely yummy execution of fit and finish. The pictures tell the story far better than I could.

so_chic_darling said...

It's lovely,but it's in Tribeca.Oh well.

Anonymous said...

I typically dig the more traditional homes, but find myself really liking this place. I like how the nice gay decorator made it sleek and like a home at the same time. Not an easy combination to pull off.

As an absolutely irrelevant aside, my ex-bf bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Spacey. In the looks and the sexually ambiguous department as well.

Anonymous said...

one reason Tribeca is so poular besides having an abundance of lofts and being relatively quiet for Manhattan is that it boasts one of the best public school districts in the city. A school that wealthy people actually have their kids go to. You wont find that on the Upper East Side.

Anonymous said...

It would be relatively easy to add a closet to the study, you'd just have to switch the back and front of one of the hall closets. In fact, one of them already looks like it has some sort of access from the study.

In any case, the more difficult problem is that the second full bath is only accessed from the second bedroom, which leaves the study with only a half-bath. I don't think you can call a room a bedroom if it does not have access to a bathroom without going through another bedroom.

So, really, this is 2 and a den unless some remodeling is involved.

Anonymous said...

Relocate the washer and dryer, plumbing already there, and thrown in a shower. Voila!

It's an OK set up. Take the terrace away and it's a hole. I'm not too fond of the size of the windows and their length off of the floor. Me thinks that when you sit down you're not going to be able to see out of them. I wanna be able to see out of the damn windows if I'm paying that type of cash.

The master is lovely although it could do with a tub. I like to soak myself every once in awhile.

ms_wonderland said...

Oh Mama, how wicked you are to bring up that dog-walking incident again! Maybe your long-bodied bitches and Mr Spacey's doggie could have a play-date.

Very comfy apartment. Only question I have is why didn't they instal a bathtub in the master suite? There looks to be room under the windows. No fun toddling downstairs for a soak.

luke220 said...

I'm with Bridget. The windows are too high off the floor. I think I'd feel all claustrophobic sitting in a chair, looking into the wall.

pch said...

I'm not even slightly interested in the specifics of Mr Spacey's private life. But, given the constant innuendo-laced press he gets, I can't help finding humor in a thread about closets, and the ambiguous nature of a room in his apartment.

Anonymous said...

MAMA is very in the know - them late night park runs have gotten Kevin trouble.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he was hoping to bump into George Michaels or Hugh Grant while they were "walking their dogs"...

Supposedly Tom Cruise won't view a property until he knows the square footage of the Master BR closet.

Anonymous said...

Does it come with parking? For $4.7 million I'd want at least one space to park a spare vehicle. I know it's Manhattan but somehow I can't picture Mr. Spacey on the subway. Anyone know if this pad comes with parking? Anyone?

Anonymous said...

If you're awed by this world and all it's beauty. Many stately mansions daily you may see. Without great wealth I know that I will never own one. And you will neither if you're no more rich than me. But if your soul will look beyond what man is building. You will see what earthly mortals cannot see. On the other side of Jordan there's constuction. On a mansion being built just for me.
Just wait till you see my brand new home. Wait till you see it's beauty rare. There's nothing down here that can compare. Just wait till you see my brand new home. My Heavenly Father's building me And I'm gonna occupy for free. Just wait till you see my brand new home. My new home will not be set upon foundation. They are manmade and someday will pass away. It won't be built where the storms of life can batter. And where rain clouds often hide the light of day. Oh, the cornerstone
of God is my foundation. The Root of David, Christ the Lord our coming King. What a welcome and homecoming now awaits me. And I'm expecting any day to more right in. My Heavenly Father's building me. And I'm gonna occupy for free. Get ready to see my brand new home!

Pam said...

I just discovered your cool blog.

I'm a Spacey fan and oddly enough, these digs are exactly the way I would've imagined them to be...right down to the colors. He could use a few retro touches (I am GoRetroGirl after all) but otherwise it's a very tasteful and classy condo.