New baby, new home!
Jocular television host and powerhouse reality TV exec Andy Cohen — he is, of course, the man responsible for foisting Bravo’s ever-expanding “Real Housewives” franchise on the world — announced the birth of his daughter Lucy about three months ago, joining big brother Ben. And now comes word, via the New York Post, that Cohen is in contract to buy a stunning duplex penthouse atop a coveted apartment house in New York’s West Village.
The last asking price for the almost 3,000-square-foot condo was $18.3 million; maintenance charges are a fairly reasonable $5,300 a month, all things considered. Listings indicate there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms but floor plans show just two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
The sellers are attorneys and Democratic Party fundraisers Willard Taylor and Virginia Davies. According to listings held by Frans H. Priedel and Darrin Chin at Brown Harris Stevens, the couple owned the penthouse for more than 30 years. They also owned an apartment downstairs, which had been connected to the duplex penthouse by a spiral staircase, but reportedly sold the lower unit off some years ago, after they first and unsuccessfully tried to sell the whole shebang in 2013 for $30 million.
What Cohen is buying is undeniably stunning: a spacious duplex with a slightly unusual layout, which can and will most likely be extensively updated and reconfigured. The building was designed in 1929 by architect Emery Roth and built in 1930 by Bing and Bing, whose buildings are regarded as among the city’s finest prewar properties. The building is one of just two the trio built downtown — Cohen currently lives in a combination duplex in the only other one — and it was converted to condos in 1986.
The interior of the lower level offers a large living room, a bedroom/study with attached bath, a powder room, and an updated eat-in kitchen. The upper floor, with 14-foot ceilings, is almost entirely taken up by a spectacular great room. There’s also a bathroom and bedroom on this floor.
As the tallest building in the West Village, the views are outstanding, both from the extra large terraces and from indoors. The Hudson River, the Freedom Tower, the Meatpacking District and even Hudson Yards can all be seen. Another fantastic feature is the adorable Gothic conservatory, currently used as an office. The terraces on both floors are very large and a wide building wall protects the outdoor area from too much wind.
As configured, the apartment has but two bedrooms, which would not seem to be nearly enough space for a wealthy single dad, his two young children and the staff required to care for them. Hence, it would not be a bit surprising if he also purchased an adjoining unit to add to his square footage.
Like many New Yorkers with the means to do so, Cohen has long maintained a getaway in the Hamptons. For years he’s owned a rustic waterfront cottage in a quiet area of East Hampton, but is also currently building a big new house on a half-acre oceanfront parcel in Amagansett that he picked up in 2019 for $5.4 million.
