There’s nothing like Park Avenue. The grandeur, the glitz, the glamour of the dignified old buildings. But what if your taste runs to more contemporary lines and you don’t want to live in a drafty old dowager with window air-conditioners and miles of dust-collecting moldings? And what if you really don’t want to have to kowtow to a co-op board?
985 Park Avenue, a boutique condo building between East 83rd and East 84th Streets, is the perfect solution to that dilemma. It offers all the trappings of those big stuffy buildings — full-time door staff, keyed elevator access, and a video intercom — and tons of up-to-date creature comforts but without the hassle of a co-op board. Pets, renting and pieds-a-terre are all allowed, making it even more enticing for those who prefer not to live in Manhattan full time. It’s also only two blocks away from Central Park and some of the best museums in the world, as well as great shopping and restaurants.
The site has an interesting history. A three-family dwelling was built there in 1870 by Ellen Smythe, a milliner, at a cost of $6,000. A photo of Park Avenue in 1912 shows it among a row of modest buildings with storefronts selling beer, ice, coal and other necessities; those with enough years under their belts remember the building as Florence Market, one of the fancy groceries that took phone orders and delivered staples to the rich folks who lived on Park Avenue. In 2006, the site was redeveloped into the 15-story condo building it is today, with just seven units in all.
This duplex condo, on two of the building’s highest floors, and listed at $7,650,000 by Judy Kloner of Coldwell Banker Warburg, is as sophisticated and beautiful as they come. It spans two full floors, with modern finishes, open city views, and a variety of high-tech amenities such as individually climate-controlled rooms. The apartment conveys with a private storage unit and carries monthly taxes and fees of more than $11,000 per month.
With 10-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and herringbone floors, the living room boasts French doors, which open to a Juliet balcony, and a fireplace, one of only two in the entire building. At the opposite end of the condo is a generously sized dining room, which doubles as a media room thanks to a wall of built-ins that hide a TV, and the windowed kitchen that offers custom cabinets, premium appliances, and a small pantry. There’s also a large marble powder room on this floor, which could be converted back to a full bathroom.
For those who can’t or don’t wish to climb stairs, the upstairs bedrooms have direct elevator access. The main bedroom faces Park Avenue and boasts a wall of custom closets and an additional walk-in closet. The spacious marble master bath has a window over the soaking tub, a large stall shower, a double vanity, and radiant heated floors. Two additional bedrooms, a laundry closet, and another bathroom complete the apartment.
