Is it surprising or isn't it?
Every artist who makes a ton of money eventually moves to the Upper East Side before they really feel successful. We got Woody Allen, Art Garfunkel, Donatella Versace and now....
Latest case in point, downtown hipster, Leonard Kravitz (aka LENNY!) is reported in yesterday's NYTimes as angling in on the "last great mansion on 5th avenue," the Duke Semans Mansion, a 20,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts residence just across the street from the MET.
Curbed is a little more skeptical.
At the retail price of $50m and still requiring a good deal of fixing up, this would put off some, but not Lenny. Now officially called a "rock star and budding designer," this is his ultimate project. We hope he does a crazy good job, flips it for twice the price, and heads back downtown. MGR
That photo of Lenny is... RAAWWWWWRRRR. Anyone know who the photographer was? Reminds me of Annie Liebowitz.
He has the same haircut as my mom, though. I really hate that late '90s Prince thing.
I'll keep you posted on his flowerboxes.
Okay, I've tried to keep my mouth shut aboutrthis, but I really can't anymore. Lenny's style is ENTIRELY Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz's. His "design studio" works EXCLUSIVELY on maintaining Lenny's existing properties - ALL designed by BNO. BNO is a genius - not to mention modest and kind, so it's to his credit that he hasn't made stink about Lenny taking nearly all the credit. Lenny is a megalomaniac. plain and simple.
For the record, that was NOT me posting anonymously.
But it could have been. :)
Perhaps he "collaborated with" Annie Liebowitz on the portrait. :)
ugh...is there something wrong with me that i don't wish mr kravitz this success? I've hated his music and his fashion, and seeing his homes in all their vulgarity just makes me want to yell: enough already! you shouldn't be a designer!
call me a hyper-traditionalist, call me crazy... but it would be a cryin shame to let Lenny/Benny get a hold of the Duke Semans mansion. simply put, they don't make em like they used to anymore.
Respect the architecture, ok?
All preferences for/against LK aside, I do think a layer of "Rock Star Glam" in an otherwise traditional gorgeous Upper East shell could be amazing (especially if *really* done by talented BNO)... assuming, as me says, the architecture is respected and nothing irreparable is done to the shell.