Luxury apartments are not immune to real estate woes — the sixteen-room apartment of New York City philanthropist Brooke Astor has had a major price reduction. The apartment occupies two floors of 778 Park Avenue and includes six terraces, five fireplaces, an additional apartment for guests, a library, and views of Central Park and Park Avenue. Originally listed last spring for $46 million, the apartment had a price reduction in November to $34 million. Recently, the price has now been chopped again to $29 million. Of course, it's not like even a 37% reduction puts it in our price range, but we still found it fun to check out the style of old New York...
Brooke Astor's Apartment Fire Sale
The interiors had been decorated by Sister Parish and Albert Hadley in the late 1960s. Hadley had updated the library in the late 1970s. (photos 2 and 3 are from the Hadley archives). Our favorite room is the bright green dining room with its rosewood dining table and Louis XIV-style chairs.
From New York Magazine: “When her mother died—her mother lived in the apartment below—Brooke broke through her apartment in the sitting room, put in a beautiful curved staircase, and took over the downstairs. Sis and I went there, and Sis said to Brooke, ‘What are you going to do in this room?’ She said, ‘Oh, this is where I am going to give Vincent’s money away!’”
Via: The Huffington Post.
(Images: 1: The Huffington Post, 2,3 : William P. Steele from Albert Hadley's archives via NY Magazine, 4: The Huffington Post, 5: floorplan from Stribling.)
Comments (21)
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definitely need to redo the interior but that's a great place! ahhh, to have a library....
view Oneformybaby's profile
Those floors are GORGEOUS!
view Monica's profile
This apartment should be made into a museum. Don't touch a thing!
view Seaside's profile
I love the floors, too.
view fabframes's profile
For the LOVE of Laura Ashley!!
view Kit's profile
whoa my god!!!! (EHRM.... that lady, wow. sorry)
view Barbara S's profile
Whoa! LOTTA dusting!
view weezy2's profile
What's the square footage??
view JENK968's profile
I bet she was a very interesting lady to know...
...we need more like her who are inclined to give away their fortunes rather than complain that they don't have enough.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/us_world/War-of-the-Roses-Connecticut-Style.html
view bepsf's profile
Poor Brooke...
view dnice's profile
What a grand lady. I'd also love to see her place turned into a museum.
view FiatLex's profile
Wow, it must be nice to be rich.
Think how many normal sized new York apartments would fit in that space, though! Bogles the mind.
view SherryBinNH's profile
This post is pertinent to the cease-and-desist argument about AT and the New York Times. Presumably, New York Magazine paid a photographer to take those photographs, hoping to draw readers to their magazine with them. Now you've published them on your own site. Even if some readers click through to the magazine's site, I'm pretty sure you've violated "fair use" by reprinting ALL of the photo essay images on AT (unless, of course, you paid for them, but I doubt you did.)
I love AT, but as a writer and former magazine editor, this sort of thing makes me cringe.
view Lisa (Montreal)'s profile
P.S. My apologies if these are real estate company photos that anyone is allowed to use.
view Lisa (Montreal)'s profile
So over decorated!
I heart this type of period style decorating .
It is so much fun to do.
Reminds me of the Newport RI "cottage" look.
So old lady and English.
view dewi's profile
Can we all pause to appreciate that library floor!!!!
Zigzag parquet.
view dewi's profile
@ Lisa (Montreal)
All the photos used in this post are available via the real estate listing for the apartment, which is linked to above. (http://www.stribling.com/propinfo.asp?webid=1074141&type=SALE) I am always careful to use less than half of the photos from any site as an incentive for people to click through.
view Amy A's profile
The designs held up well though the years, didn't they. Except perhaps for the dining room, which seems very dated to me. But I think I could move right in :)
view SunnyBlue's profile
Whoa. Is that wallpaper perfectly matching the fabric or is the fabric being used as wallpaper?
And, yeah, my entire apartment could fit in that bedroom.
view Erika in Seattle's profile
The dining room doesn't look dated, it just looks wrong. Those colors are not working for me at all; there's something very wrong about them and the semi-cheap-looking what that pattern on the wall is looking. The surface seems wrong.
view Curtis's profile
I have an article from the Sunday Times right here on my desk about Brooke Astors son and the alleged neglect she suffered before her death:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5467288.ece
It details how her son fired many of her staff and how
"there was nobody to walk her dachshunds, Boysie and Girlsie. The carpet was removed from the dining room where she had hosted so many glamorous dinner parties and the dogs were allowed the run of the room; the parquet floor was soon warped by urine."
The green room shown above does indeed show a floor that is looking the worse for wear - no wonder the price has been reduced - very sad.
view Violetsrose's profile