Visitors to New York City’s famed Flatiron Building may have noticed the landmark’s lesser-known neighbor — a narrow high-rise that would be modest if not for its extravagant gold dome.
Now, the 5,777-square-foot penthouse that occupies the shimmering dome (and the two-story octagonal cupola it crowns) is on sale for $25 million.
The five-bedroom, five-bathroom property sits atop 170 Fifth Avenue, which was built in 1898 and predates the Flatiron Building by four years. Also known as the Sohmer Piano Building, it originally housed the manufacturing company that successfully brought the first baby grand pianos to market in the 1880s.
“It’s really buying a true old New York piece of property,” said the Sotheby’s listing agent, Lawrence Treglia, in a phone call to CNN. “The cupola is iconic. Whenever you see the Flatiron building (in photographs), it’s always shown on the right-hand side.”
“There’s nothing of this kind in that price bracket,” Treglia added, noting that comparable New York penthouses are typically in new developments.
The Beaux-Arts building was designed by Robert Maynicke, who had a large architectural footprint in the city in the early 20th century — from the landmarked 41 Park Row, which originally housed The New York Times, to 200 Fifth Avenue, a one-time toy manufacturing hub with a distinctive gold sidewalk clock that now houses Eataly and the offices of Tiffany & Co., among others. (Maynicke was also responsible for 190 Bowery, the enigmatic graffitied corner building, formerly the longtime studio of photographer Jay Maisel that became the subject of local lore and a documentary).
Having once contained various businesses, including a publishing house, 170 Fifth Avenue was converted into a condominium at the turn of the millennium. The domed penthouse, formerly a loft, has only had one owner since: the philanthropist and entrepreneur Gregory C. Carr, who bought it in 2001 for around $7.5 million and subsequently renovated it, he told CNN over email. The proceeds of the current sale will be used to build schools and preschools in Mozambique, Carr added.
The property offers 360-degree views of the city from the cupola, which in the listing is staged as a sitting room with a bar cart. Other highlights include an open, eat-in kitchen with skylights; marbled bathrooms; a private roof deck; and a grand iron-wrought spiral staircase.
“Being in that cupola is special,” Treglia said. “And being in the primary suite, you almost feel like you’re at the Plaza (Hotel), because of the design and how it’s situated.”
Although 170 Fifth Avenue is not considered as much of an architectural marvel as its unusual triangular neighbor, it has a unique, slim design, too. The 13-floor building is only 29 feet wide (but 120 feet long), designed to replace a humble brownstone that stood on the site before it.
