After a Big Legal Wrangle, This $38 Million New York Penthouse Looks Mighty Fine

The controversy over the height of newly built 200 Amsterdam, the tallest residential building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is over. Opponents had sued to force developer SJP Properties to chop 20 stories off the top of the 52-story structure, saying its building permits were improper. In September, the New York Court of Appeals denied an opposition group’s appeal to a previous court ruling upholding the validity of the 668-foot-tall tower’s building permits. Frankly, New York City’s zoning codes are Byzantine, so we have zero idea whether the ruling was correct or not. Even local land-use experts were stymied about this one — the lot on which the skyscraper was built sports a mind-boggling 39 sides!

Designed by Elkus Manfredi, a series of setbacks gives the tall and narrow tower an Art Deco feeling. There are 112 condos in the building, which is located at the intersection between Amsterdam Avenue and West 69th Street — the former location of the Lincoln Square Synagogue. There are ten penthouses, which begin on the 41st floor and include eight full-floor apartments in addition to two duplexes. Of course, the building includes many swanky lifestyle amenities, including a 75-foot indoor saltwater pool, a library, club room, private dining room, fitness center, concierge services (including for resident pets) and a VIP membership to the nearby Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

This sprawling duplex penthouse, occupying the entire 49th and 50th floors, is listed by Jill Mangone at Brown Harris Stevens at $38 million. Common charges are nearly $10,000 per month and projected taxes are pushing up on $16,000 per month, though marketing materials state the tax bill could go higher once the building is complete. With interiors designed by international architects CetraRuddy, renderings show there are four bedrooms and four bathrooms plus two powder rooms in nearly 6,500 square feet of living space. The layout is “inspired by New York City’s classic pre-war homes,” according to the listing, and includes a private elevator vestibule, a vast 650-square-foot living room, a white marble eat-in kitchen, and a pint-sized study or staff room.

All bedrooms are en suite, while the spacious primary suite stretches the whole width of the apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, tons of closet space, and an integrated morning bar that means never having to schlep to the kitchen for a beverage or snack. The apartment’s two levels are connected by a staircase of glass and brushed nickel, and there is also a 116-foot-long “sky terrace” facing Central Park, with a glass railing that’ll give just about anyone a screaming case of vertigo.

Those with deep pockets, who love clean design, and aren’t freaked out by sky-high balconies should consider counting their pennies, if nothing else than for the views that stretch 30 miles away. (Note that marketing images are all renderings so the interior appointments can be tweaked if desired.)