9.21.2008

The House that Got Away

New York’s Daily News recently asked Martha what her biggest real estate regret has been. She wasted no time in answering: the Duke Semans mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue, which sold for $40-million to Russian real-estate czar Tamir Sapir in January, 2006. Martha told the Daily News that she was ready to bid on the seven-story, 20,000 square foot house but decided to postpone it in lieu of a much-needed vacation. When she got back, however, the house had already been sold. She says she deeply regrets that now:

“That was going to be my place in New York. It had stairs, and I love stairs. The dogs could run up and down them. I could entertain before events at the museum. I could have musicians playing. I almost cry every time I go by.”
Martha has a Fifth-Avenue pied-a-terre not far away from the Semans mansion for city entertaining, but it is a mere fraction of the size, with a single bedroom and a narrow, galley kitchen. (You can read more about her apartment through the “Martha’s Homes” link at the side.)

Built in 1901, the facade of the Semans house faces Fifth Avenue and runs down the side of East 82nd Street. It includes two outdoor terraces and offers amazing rooftop views of Fifth Avenue & Central Park. It is located directly across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and features 11 marble fireplaces, three elevators and a sweeping brass-and-wrought-iron staircase. One of the bathrooms is said to be finished entirely in black marble. With its 12-foot high ceilings, gold-leaf trimmed fixtures and intricate plaster friezes, the property is a living piece of architectural history.

Martha might take a little sigh of relief, though. The house needed a further $10-million in renovations to convert the mansion to a single residence again, which had been previously divided into three apartments.

5 comments:

Carolyn said...

That is a pretty place though........

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

It IS pretty! But I think Martha has enough houses now. She should enjoy the ones she's got. But that's just me! :-)

-A-

Kevin said...

Andrew, I agree with your comment about this house not feeling like one of Martha's homes. Maybe she had a vision for it that I just can't see... I have to admit, though, that it has always surprised me that Martha has not invested more real estate $$$ into NYC properties, given the proximity to her offices.

Kevin

ANDREW RITCHIE said...

I think it appealed to Martha's "Hollywood" side, Kevin. The part of Martha that is unabashedly glamorous! She did have a Richard Meier penthouse in NYC but sold it in 2004 before she even moved in. Curious...

Anonymous said...

Andrew, I couldn't agree with you more. While the house is stunning, it is just not Martha. Bedford suits her perfectly - country elegance with an eye towards lifestyles of a bygone era. I think Martha has done the right thing since her legal troubles in emphasizing the more aproachable side of her persona. I think with the advent of her Sirius radio show, her myspace page,and then her blog, plus other public outreach projects,she has shown a warmer, more likeable public face. I think an aquisition like this mansion would have been a set-back for her image, and made her seem imperious and elitist, especially so soon after her legal problems.