FABULOUS MANHATTAN TOWNHOUSE ON CENTRAL PARK WEST

This 1887 six-level Central Park West and 85^th Street NYC townhouse is unusual!  Originally listed last May for $37MM, price has since been lowered to $32.5MM.  There are 12,000 living sq ft.  

A glass and steel staircase looks like a stairway to the stars.

Included are an indoor 60’ lap fresh water pool and home gym.  It is one of very few townhouses still on the Park.

The townhome has 5 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half baths, an elevator and finished lower level with the pool and gym.  The parlor floor and living area boast double-height ceilings and gallery sized walls.   

Natural light floods the great room from a dome-shaped skylight.  There are professional fitness/massage areas, 2 offices, bow-front window seat in the master suite with panoramic Park views.  

The chef’s kitchen is fit for grand dining, is next to the dining room and zen-bamboo garden for outdoor dining.

A theatre is included.

Interested?  Ask Marilyn for more details.

The roof terrace affords sweeping park views.  It is described as a 21^st C. work of art.  Address is 247 Central Park West.

CHECK OUT WHAT A HOLIDAY GIFT OVER $100,000,000 ($100MM-USD) WOULD BUY IN MANHATTAN

The ultimate holiday gift: a 19-room mansion built in 1883 and completely renovated and embellished  in 2005, is located at 12 East 69^th Street, a prime location in Manhattan between 5^th Avenue and Madison Avenue.  This pretty limestone mansion is already gift wrapped.  List price is $114,077,000.  The sidewalks and exterior steps are heated.

A fabulous duplex library features a celestial celing mural, 2-story rendition of Kipling’s poem, “If,” built-in black walnut bookcases and burled elm paneling. A spiral staircase connects to the parlor level catwalk to the main library below.

Grand Hall/Living Room, 850 living sq ft, has detailed gilded moldings in the coffered ceilings, a walnut marquetry floor, and Brazilian travertine fireplace.

Kitchen is 40’ wide, has brick and fieldstone walls, a brick pizza oven, butcher block center island and floors made from reclaimed railroad ties.

The museum-quality formal dining room has a carved stone fireplace which is a replica of a dining room at the Palace of Versailles in France.  Floor-to-ceiling windows have mahogany frames.  Black walnut marquetry floor has a “rug border”.  Plaster walls are adorned with golf leaf.

Romantic and lavish guest bedroom on 5^th floor has en-suite bath and walk-in closets.

Spa/bathroom resembles a Grecian temple.  Bath tub is Italian onyx with raised soaking rub carved from a single slab of stone; bidet and toilet are carved from matching onyx.  Steam shower is framed by  mosaic tile archway.

Fit for a king, the master bedroom suite features golf-leaf moldings, a sitting area with fireplace, hidden his-and-hers walk in closets and 2^nd master bath.

Ground floor informal family room/den has a riverstone fireplace and home office area.

The 420 sq ft home theater/media center has sound-proofed walls and red cherry wood balcony.

Lower level indoor saltwater swimming pool is heated.

Three-tiered roof terrace offers a glimpse of Central Park and Upper East Side cityscape.  Imagine watching the July 4^th fireworks from here!

1920’s PALM BEACH ESTATE UP FOR SALE: $26.4MM

This Moorish-influenced house built in 1920 by Marion Sims Wyeth, then in 1929 expanded by Addison Mizner, who is reknowned as the architect who gave south Florida its Mediterranean Revival style, prevalent in Palm Beach. 

Property is El Castilo, historic and turreted.  Location is El Bravo Way. 

Property features 6 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, has 16,021 sq ft. 

The property’s impressive five stories tower above its neighbors affording sweeping Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway views.

Mizner added terracotta Cuban tile, painted cypress ceilings and iron lighting fixtures and railings.  In 2009 the property was given an award-winning restoration adding a new wing with kitchen and family room and bedroom walk in closets.  Great attention to historic detail.  Flooring and elevator were renovated, all hardware restored or faithfully replicated.

A Volk-designed pool house and patio with wetbar are high atop the turreted tower.

For showing information call Marilyn at 561-302-3388.

METICULOUSLY RENOVATED WEST PALM BEACH 1920’S HOUSE SOLD

Appealing historic home on Dyer Road in West Palm Beach, with all new-wiring, plumbing, roof, impact windows and doors, sound system, landscaping in West Palm Beach’s Lafayette Park section, has sold after 191 days on the market.  

The Via Reclinata property has 4 bedrooms with 3 in the main house and one bedroom and bath in the guest house.  There is a pool; 4012 living sq ft.  Location is east of Dixie, below Bevedere,  two houses west of South Flagler Drive.  Sale price was $1,951,412.

RECENTLY SOLD DELRAY BEACH HISTORIC HOME HAS BEAUTY, CHARM, AND WALK TWO HOUSES TO THE BEACH PATH

After 551 days on the market, this beautiful 1930 Delray Beach Bermuda-style home on Vista Delmar Drive, with pool in back, 4 bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, sold for $2,400,000.  Main living areas have recently added hickory wood floors, exotic lush tropical gardens, a shady vine-cloaked pergola, a fragrant herb garden, beamed ceiling and wood burning fireplace.  Rooms are spacious, French Doors abound thruout the house.  Two houses east is North Ocean Boulevard – cross over and take the short path to the beach and ocean.  This historic house is a dream come true!

THE SEVEN50 PROJECT - MAKING FUTURE HISTORY

Two hundred plus public, private and non-profit organizations in Palm Beach, Broward, St. Lucie, Martin, India River, Miami-Dade and Monroe County formed the group to develop a 50-year plan for the region.

Issues include coastal erosion, environment and other climate issues and regional approaches to economic development, transportation and education.  One member mentioned that an expanded marine industry in West Palm Beach could create jobs and become an international destination for super yachts.

A grant of nearly $14MM has been awarded to South Florida transportation officials to upgrade rail transportation and connect train corridors on Tri Rail and the CSX and Florida East Coast Railway lines.  It will also be used for the All Aboard Florida, a rail service between Miami and Orlando.

According to project officials, three million new residents are expected in Florida in the next 50 years.  For more information see seven50.org.

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION CONSIDERING ELEVEN PALM BEACH PROPERTIES FOR POTENTIAL DESIGNATION.

In 1979 the Palm Beach Town Council, in order to stop the loss of the town’s historic resources, adopted a Historic Preservation Ordinance.  This ordinance appointed a 7-member Landmarks Preservation Commission, 6 of whom must be town residents, to identify significant structures, check them against a set of criteria and choose the best examples as landmarks of the Town of Palm Beach.  This Commission also determines historic districts and scenic areas.

Criteria for landmark designation includes properties associated with events of historic interest or lives of persons historically significant; outstanding example of architectural design, or significant work of a notable architect or master craftsman.  The Committee also reviews changes and alterations to existing Landmark properties.

Currently there are 246 Landmarked properties, sites and vistas, and ten properties and one scenic vista are now being considered to receive the Landmark designation.  Included are properties designed by Marion Simms Wyeth, John Volk, Treanor and Fatio and examples of a bungalow, Moorish Revival-style, Neoclassical style, Georgian Revival style, Mediterranean Revival and Mission style home.

There are some property tax advantages to being a Landmarked property.

OLD STANDBY IDEAS NOW APPEARING IN NEWER HOMES - CREATION OF SPIRITUAL SPACES

 Architects and builders are incorporating meditation gardens, yoga and tai chi studios and private chapels into home plans. 

Tea Houses with sparse furnishings are a newer addition to some homes.

Feng shui specialists are called upon to consult with about design principals or to conduct special ceremonies.  Outdoor elements are brought within vision.  Beautiful gardens with plantings and pebbles are featured.  Antique doors are popular.  Water features have become important, such as fountains and waterfalls.  Homeowners want natural materials and light colored woods such as maple, bamboo and oak. 

Asian influences prevail.  Handmade sliding screens and tatami mats are included as well as koi ponds and bonsai trees. 

Tea rooms are places for meditation and for snacks and dinners.  During the Colonial period, private prayer spaces were included within homes, but in the 1960’s, communal worship became more popular.