Monday, March 19, 2012

Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys Flip Out in SoHo

SELLERS: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
LOCATION: New York City, NY
PRICE: $17,950,000
SIZE: 5 bedrooms, 4 full and 4 half bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: It was only in February 2010 that R&B superstar Alicia Keys and her Grammy-winning record producer/rapper/DJ husband Swizz Beatz (née Kasseem Dean) dropped $12,750,000 to acquire high-heel sporting rock star cum design maven Lenny Kravitz's legendarily difficult to sell real estate white elephant in New York City's Soho 'hood.

The children who follow celebrity real estate will recall that Mister Kravitz—at one time a bone fide real estate baller—spent several years unsuccessfully trying to sell his decadent duplex digs at a frequently-changing variety of asking prices that went as high at $19,500,000 and dipped as low as $12,500,000.

Thanks to Soho Sally (and the kids at Curbed) we've recently come to understand that two short years after buying their Manhattan aerie from Mister Kravitz, a fairly quiet wagon hitching ceremony on the island of Corsica, a new baby boy they named Egypt, and two more Grammys to add to her dozen others, Miz Keys and Mister Beatz have flipped their glassy duplex penthouse in Soho back on the market with a substantially increased asking price of $17,950,000.

Listing information shows the duplex penthouse, which has a third level roof terrace, measures in at a mansion-sized 6,167 square feet and contains 4-5 bedrooms and 4 full and 4 half bathrooms. Monthly maintenance and common charges for the penthouse that sits atop a full-service boo-teek building—once home to Hole rocker and Twitter princess Courtney Love—run a hefty-hefty-hefty $11,564 per month. Listing information also indicates the penthouse property also comes with separate and private wine cellar and storage/dressing rooms, presumably located somewhere in the bowels of the red-brick and cast iron building.

Although it's day-core is now lighter and brighter, a quick perusal of the juicy floor plan included with current listing information and marketing materials indicates to Your Mama boozy, vacation eyes that little has been altered from Mister Kravitz's ownership. The lower level of the posh ans spacious penthouse includes a massive gallery entrance with floating glass staircase and a pair of powder rooms, a high-glam solarium style formal dining room, and a 600-plus square foot living room with fireplace and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that give way to a city-view terrace that extends the full width of the penthouse. Not surprisingly, there's a grand piano near the windows where Miz Keys no doubt tinkles the ivories and composes her next mega-hit songs.

Also on the lower lever are a library/media room with walk-in closet and attached private bathroom, and a considerable eat-in kitchen with colossal marble-topped work island, a small walk-in pantry, an adjoining laundry room, and a wall of windows that slide open to a narrow terrace that runs the full width of the building.

The floating glass staircase—still with mortifying taupe shag carpeting on the treads—ascends to the second floor where there's a large office area completely encased in glass that overlooks the dining room. A long hallway provides access the guest/family bedroom wing that consists of one bedroom with walk-in closet and private attached facility plus two smaller bedrooms, each with private powder rooms and a shared sky-lit shower room that opens directly into the hallway.

The star-worthy, second floor master suite has huge windows, massive sky lights, a small private balcony, and several standard closet/storage cabinets plus a fully-fitted dressing room. The compartmentalized bathroom consists of his-and-her terlit/bee-day cubbies that open into a shared shower space and a wide, curving wall with twin sinks/vanities that flank an over-sized soaking tub.

A glass enclosed exterior staircase climbs from the second floor to the massive roof-top terrace with built-in stainless steel barbecue center/outdoor kitchen and expansive city view.

We haven't a clue why Mister and Missus Keys might want to sell their fancy pants penthouse so soon after buying but it could be that in the end it's just not large enough to accommodate their growing family—Mister Beatz has four children by four woman including a toddler boy named Egypt born to Miz Keys.

Prior to buying Mister Kravitz's sloppy real estate seconds, Miz Keys owned a fairly traditional, 15-room mansion in the upscale suburban Long Island enclave of Syosset (NY) bought in December 2005 for $2,933,380, put up for sale in early summer 2010 with an asking price of $3,850,000 and sold, according to property records, in June 2011 to a local orthodontist and his wife for $2,995,000.

listing photos and floor plan: Sotheby's International Real Estate

19 comments:

DC Guy said...

Mama, what do you and your long bodied bitches think - is that a picture of Sade in the living room above the sofa?

Anonymous said...

Re Miz Keys' mansion, bought for 2933380 in 2005 and sold for in 2011 for 2995000, profit 61620, not enough to cover the time value of money+inflation. In short she lost quite a bit, however indeterminate. I guess she never heard of Warren Buffett's first rule of investing: "Never lose money."

Avi said...

Yep, that is a drawing of her highness Sade Adu. There are also 3 pictures of Alicia Keys.

This is a great apartment.

Anonymous said...

Uber Fabulous!

Anonymous said...

How do they expect to unload this for a gain?? Speaking of unload, Rosies show is already cancelled as of Friday. Shes going to take a bath on the Chicago place (she bought from the HARPO Exec) I bet.

Petra's Pantyhose Ironer said...

Why is she still with Swizz?!?! He ain't even cute!

Anonymous said...

revro

well i personally like the clasic prewar rather than this modern style. tough i am not generally against contemporary style. the clocktower in ny is epic :)

re buffet: i would strongly recommend to not take advices from a rich kid blabbing how cool he is thanks to his daddies congressman connections

ps: i red in past two and half months this entire blog in the evenings including comments :) well guess i dont have anything else to do

Don Juan's Wreckless Daughter said...

I'm willing to wager it will sit on the market a while and eventually sell for some silly rabbit-out-of-a-hat number like 13,885,000.

Anonymous said...

This makes me think there's something wrong with that loft - first Lenny was trying to sell it forever, now after two short years they are trying to unload it as well? Maybe it's leaky with all that glass? Noisy? Something seems amiss if you ask me...

candi speling said...

Love Alicia’s music. Especially that moving tribute she did at Whitney Houston’s funeral. Mama, just an aside, but did I tell you my retail queen story? Several years ago I was working part-time at a mall in ATL (a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to pay the mortgage.) Anyway several times a woman in a floppy hat and large sunglasses came in the store, carrying several shopping bags. Whenever I would ask her if she needed help, she would tap her throat as if to say, “I can’t speak.” This happened several times. Finally I mentioned it to one of my co-workers, telling him this woman was possibly homeless and unable to speak for some reason. He turned to me and said, “Haven’t you figured her out yet? It’s WHITNEY HOUSTON. She doesn’t want to be recognized.” So the next time she came in while I was working, I got up close just to be sure, and it turned out my co-worker was correct. It was Whitney---with no entourage---just enjoying a day at the mall. And all that time I incorrectly assumed everything she owned was in those shopping bags! Ha ha ha

P.S. I had a conversation with Jane Fonda at a fundraiser when she lived in ATL. And I met RuPaul at a downtown nightclub many years ago. P.P.S. Hoping vacay is wonderful and thanks for sharing tidbits even though you're on holiday! xoxo Candi

FrenchGirl said...

fabulous

Anonymous said...

FAB!!!!

Anonymous said...

I like more than I dislike so I guess it would be a win by decision and not a knock-out. The motorcycle is interesting, they should have purchased Keyne West's butchered Maybach to go with it. The car is already in pieces so getting it up the elevator shouldn't be too hard...

But nearly $18mil? No thanks.

Anonymous said...

oh wow, stunning. the best home i've seen in a long time on here. i wonder why she's selling so quickly?
maybe not child-friendly? all that glass and those stairs look dangerous.

Anonymous said...

$18 million for a place they paid $12 million for? They can go to hell. I used to like her until she pursued a married man with children and broke up her marriage and her home. I never cared from him too much before in addition to him being hideously ugly with a nose that can smell better than a bloodhound.

Anonymous said...

2:20. So an 81 year old man is a "kid" and he got his billions due to his father's being a Congressman, and losing money is a good way to get rich? Hmmm..Thanks for straightening me out.

Village said...

It has been reported that Rosie sold her condo for a little more than she paid after one day on the market.

It may be that the 30 Crosby Loft is cold. Lenny's first incarnation of the place had a massive, undulating wall of fire. Perhaps it was literally to warm the place.

I'm guessing they failed to heat the floors, which may be the only was to realistically warm a space that size with staircases venting the heat.

Carla Ridge said...

What kind of person names their kid "Swizz"? I mean, HONestly.

Anonymous said...

@ anon 9:59 PM: Perhaps the married man pursued Ms.Keys? A man with 4 children by 4 women seems like the type.

Anyway, this casa is icy. Brrr!

Lady J