Monday, September 15, 2008

Your Mama Hears...

...From a very reliable source we'll call Katty Katrina that in early August of 2008 gajillionaire Google guy Sergey Brin and his lucky wifey Anne plunked down $8,500,000 for a doo-plex penthouse on Greenwich Street in Manhattan's once boho now uber-posh West Village neighborhood.

Now children, we can not confirm this purchase with 100% certitude because the buyer of the 3,457 square foot building topper obfuscated their identity by purchasing the condominium through a bizness entity. So at this point, the purchase is just rumor and gossip. However, all the property records Your Mama was able to dig up concerning this purchase point back to an attorney in Menlo Park, CA which is, of course, not far from Mister Brin's gigantic Googleplex in Mountain View, CA and Katty Katrina, a gabby gal with a well manicured finger on the pulse of all things swanky in the downtown environs, has never, ever steered Your Mama wrong the real estate doings of the rich and famous in Noo York City.

According to listing information for the 4 bedroom and 3.5 bathroom penthouse that rides astride a brand new, boo-teek sized building, the main floor of the sleek white walled unit includes a private elevator entrance that drops the wildly rich college dropout di-rectly into the apartment and a 48-foot living and dining room space anchored by a long an glorious stretch of walnut floors and a gas fireplace pushed up into one corner. A smallish but very pricey Bulthaup kitchen offers Mister and Missus Google top notch stainless steel appliances and Carrara marble counter tops. The main floor is completed by two bedrooms (one with a private pooper and one with a bathroom across the hallway) and a large master bedroom with a private terrace, and a good amount of closet space.

The penthouse level consists entirely of a giant window wrapped room surrounded by 1,200 square foot of private terrace. Tucked back into the corner of this massive and light filled room is a half bathroom and a wet bar which will spare Mister and Missus Google from having to climb a flight of stairs every time they feel the urge for a gin and tonic and a bag of Cheetos.

Your Mama confesses that if this condo was indeed purchased by the Google gajillionaire (and we think it was), we are absolutely impressed with the couple's real estate modesty. Because let's be honest children, according to the folks at Forbes, young Mister Brin has a net worth somewhere near twenty billion bucks and he could easily afford to scoop up Tommy Hilfiger's $50,000,000 flip penthouse at The Plaza or one of those heart stoppingly high-priced resale units at the Robert A.M. Stern dee-zined 15 Central Park West.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he'll use a hammock as a bed -- like they do in their giant Boeing jet?

lil' gay boy said...

Modest yet swank; the perfect pied à terre for a googillionaire.

Friendly but unpretentious layout for a young couple, whether they are planning to expand the family or not.

New Homes in the Carolinas said...

incredible views, but I would say too small for me

Anonymous said...

Mama... just cuz you got the big bucks doesn't mean you need to spend them stoopidly. Why buy Hilfiger's nest when he can be perfectly happy with a smaller-priced unit. What's that phrase that the ladies keep telling me? Size doesn't matter?!

Anonymous said...

Everything I have read about Sergey (and how he helps run is company) is about not selling out. This pruchase makes sense when you comapare Google.com to a bloated search engine, like Yahoo.com.

Like Google, this is a clean/smooth looking place.

Anonymous said...

Ditto on what Todd said.

Besides. The Google boys are no idiots.

Not going to be too many high payed "Wall Streeters" snapping up luxury condos in the future.

In fact, Manhattan will be an interesting place to track foreclosures now.

Anonymous said...

It's been on the market at $10M+ forever ... The unit below is also on the market for around $7M ... Finish sucks considering the price.

Anonymous said...

It's been on the market at $10M+ forever ... The unit below is also on the market for around $7M ... Finish sucks considering the price.

Alessandra said...

I'm trying to decide if I love the great room or not.

However, I do think it is a reasonable purchase and a decent-looking place. My guess is that he and his wife don't use NYC as their primary residence, but they wanted a place to call home when they're in town. In that view, it makes sense not to spend $50mm.

I do like all the light and the terraces. It is a comfortable looking space.

Anonymous said...

i dig it, comfortable & the terrace is great.
actually have some trees in the view

Anonymous said...

Outstanding terraces will afford great spaces in which to enjoy a cigarette without bothering the antismoking-nazis.

Anonymous said...

Outstanding terraces will afford great spaces in which to enjoy a cigarette without bothering the antismoking-nazis.

Anonymous said...

In this competitive world, where offices dealing in the same sector are battling to get the best out of their employees, the importance of an attractive and alluring office look and feel can’t be underemphasized. There is no denying the fact that consciously or subconsciously the ambience, the locality and the arredamento mobile ufficio of an office plays a vital role in attracting prospective employees http://www.momi.com

Anonymous said...

question

now that real estate is going to become a cash only business since the banks no longer give out loans

A are asking prices going to finally drop 90% ?

B are more and more high end homes going to remain on the market at 2007 prices ? vs 1984 prices ?

case in point

I have a friend that makes 1MM a year

his credit score is 800 and yet he cannot get a 3MM loan

why is that ?

just sayin

Anonymous said...

Anyway...


Love it!
Would be a blast to decorate!

Anonymous said...

Sergey's one of the nicest people in Silicon Valley business. One of the few that didn't make a nasty reputation for himself on his way up, and one of the few that no one minds being so successful. Don't know his wife, but assuming he chose well. Well done, modestly done. Good for them.
Hope to start seeing them playing big-time in the charity business next!