640 Park Avenue

What can I say?  I love rooms and 640 Park is a good a collection as you will find anywhere in the world.  Designed by James Carpenter and occupied since 1914, it is one of the ‘grande dames’ of New York City real estate.  A building that we all can aspire to live in but few ever will even if they have the money.

Carpenter is the father of the modern apartment floor plan. In essence he created the blueprint for future successful residential buildings, developing and perfecting the ‘off the foyer’ layout.  In larger spaces such as the one above this means a library off the entrance gallery. In smaller apartments the foyer acts as a central hub for the entire home.

It is hard to convey the grandeur of a room from a floor plan.  At 640 Park the ceilings are high and the hallways are wide. Seven feet wide in the main hall and four feet wide in the servants wing.  For perspective, the standard width of a New York City hallway is three feet.   The only negative is that by today’s standards the bathrooms might be considered cramped and they cannot be enlarged as per the rules of the co-op.

Last Fall, after the demise of Lehman brothers, Dick Fuld briefly listed his apartment at $32,000,000 for sale, withdrawing it days later.  Rumor has it that even though not publicly on the market, the Fuld’s are mulling over an offer around the $27,000,000 mark.   Maybe he wants to make sure the buyer is board passable before accepting; this is Park Avenue after all.   Back in the 1970’s, the building made the news when it famously blocked a sale to Prince Saud Al-Faisal.

The last sale that we could find was back in 2005, when Millard Drexel of JCrew fame was approved on his purchase of a full floor for $20,000,000. It seems the recession is far from the doors of this New York landmark.

Photo Credits: luxist.com

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