Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Peter Norton Goes Downtown


BUYER: Peter Norton
LOCATION: West 13th Street, New York, NY
PRICE: $6,800,000
SIZE: 2,861 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: ...this trophy property features a sprawling layout with 3 bedrooms and en-suite baths, an award-winning gourmet kitchen, and a gorgeous living room with wood-burning fireplace and endless light and views–with over 23 windows facing North and West throughout. A library, solarium, powder room, laundry room and over 1000sf private terrace complete this very special offering.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: This morning we're gonna piggy back on celebrity real estate boy wonder Max Abelson's report in the NY Observer about tech titan turned big-time art baron Peter Norton purchasing new digs in Noo York City's Greenwich Village.

As Mister Abelson noted, records reflect that the one time monk who created the ubiquitous (and enormously frustrating to this Mac user) Norton Utilities scooped up a West Village penthouse on West 13th Street for $6,800,000. Listing information reveals Mister Norton's new nest measures in at a modest 2,861 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a 42-foot long living/dining/kitchen combination, a laundry room uncomfortably located in the front entrance hall, a small, oddly configured and windowless office space with a poorly placed column and an itty bitty solarium on the second floor that provides access to the 1,095 square foot terrace.

Mister Abelson mentioned that Mister Norton previously owned a dark doo-plex designed by hoity toity architect Maya Lin, which is true. However, the very able Mister Abelson skipped over Mister Norton's most recent Noo York City crash pad which was not the high-style downtown doo-plex, but rather a sprawling art filled condo located on a high floor at the Trump International Hotel and Tower. The children will just have to trust Your Mama when we tell them that the apartment Mister Norton is leaving behind has staggering views east over Central Park, south over all of Manhattan below 59th Street and west to the shores of New Jersey and beyond.

Mister Norton and his ex-wifey Eileen amassed what was widely considered to be one of the largest private contemporary art collections. The couple donated the bulk of the collection to various big name museums prior to their 2000 dee-vorce. Mister Norton has gone on to buy and build up his collection to once again rival those of other contemporary art collectors like tract house titan Eli Broad. The collection includes works of emerging artists as well as those by well established art kings and queens like Takashi Murakami, Bruce and Norman Yonemoto, Vik Muniz and Kara Walker.

But we digress. We're here to discuss the real estate and not the art collection so let's get back to the new Norton nest, which Your Mama thinks is in serious need of Maya Lin's intervention despite it's "award-winning gourmet kitchen." We won't touch the questionable day-core since it belongs to the previous owner/tenent and it's likely that once Mister Norton puts in a few pieces of his rather large and speck-tack-u-lar art collection it will little matter what else is in the room.

None the less, we can only hope that his team of nice gay decorators will do something about the coral colored pain in the master bedroom that makes Your Mama's eyes bleed. We also hope that Mister Norton will hire a talented and expensive landscape designer who can work with the vast expanse of the flat and featureless roof terrace.

What we do like are the corner windows in the living room and solarium as well as the fantabulous looking floors. As the children might imagine we also appreciate that each bedroom comes equipped with its own private pooper...even though most of them don't have any windows for ventilation which could be a real problem the morning after Indian take out.

As far as Your Mama knows, Mister Norton owns several other homes including one in Los Angeles (where his company offices are located in Santa Monica) and a hew-mongus and historic house in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard that he rebuilt with a meticulous attention to historic dee-tail after it was leveled in a colossal conflagration.

Mister Norton's new building, called The Greenwich is also home to fabulous fashion freakazoid Michael Kors and campy Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith, a man with eyebrows so high-lariously arched it makes Your Mama pee a little.

19 comments:

TwentyFiveFifty said...

Where is the door opening to the bathroom attached to the bedroom by the master? Anyone?

Alessandra said...

I like the floors, windows and kitchen. And with 3.5 baths, Svetlana will be busy.

The terrace is a true bonus.

I know the salmon-candy colored bedroom can be repainted, but it is a bit jarring. Maybe you have to see it in real life...

Anonymous said...

i was going to say.. you better mention his ocean park house in oak bluffs!!!

way to go mama

Anonymous said...

Lots of glass. Like it a lot. Wonder if the terrace can be built on?

Small things: Wish it had more WOW factor at the entry, and the fireplace facade is a little off in keeping with other design elements. I'd take out the office doors and wall ... odd little room ... and reposition its WC door to face east. Picky. Picky. Shame on me.

Know we should ignore the existing decor, but Mama, it scares me.

StPaulSnowman said...

Great post after you made the chilun wait, wait and wait some more. Talk about hard to get! Seeing this new item pop up was like finding that lost Dilly Bar in the back of the freezer........a tasty surprise.
LGB....is there a reasonable way to guesstimate what the outdoor spaces, terraces, balconies add to the value of a Manhattan property based on the square footage? Obviously a view of the park is worth more than a dark enclosed courtyard but the realtors must have some convention for outdoor spaces. I am guessing they are not considered part of the square footage of the apartment. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I thought that kitchen was the office. I like the laundry right next to the closet... it's where the clean clothes go! I converted the back staircase in my utility room into my walk-in closet, and so my washer and dryer are in essence, in my closet! It totally makes sense!

Biffles said...

Maybe he can showcase some of the sculpture he owns on that terrace...with the proper support, of course!

Anonymous said...

I was once at Peter Norton's place in the Trump building,and the views alone were to die for. I wish he'd adopt me. I hate Trump and his tacky buildings, but this place looks like a step down from where he was before.

Realty Rider said...

The present time is not ideal for the realty market. The decelerated pace has affected the sector. The leading banks have increased the interest rates of home loans and the inflation level is also rising. Therefore, putting together, the probable property buyers are feeling dejected. But perhaps there may be a silver lining. The prospective buyers are delaying their home-buying decision to buy properties because of a widespread conjecture of probable price reduction in times to come. How long one should wait and watch is however not known. Anuj Puri, the chairman and country head of the operations of the international real estate consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj (JLLM) in India, says that the correction will take 4 to 6 months depending on the local trend of the market and the holding power of the developers operating in that location. JLLM also makes a forecast of 5 to 15% probable price reduction in different hyped micro markets of Pune, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Noida, and other such locations. The real estate India appears to be going through a rocky period. The real estate markets of South Mumbai, several other places in Mumbai suburbs, and some locations in New Delhi may experience a price reduction of even up to 10%. These areas already have seen unreasonable price trends. As per Mr. Puri, the problems for the developers to finish the existing projects as well as initiate new projects will escalate which will result in reduced incoming supply. This will also increase the consumption time needed for the existing supplies. The prospective buyer of India property will reschedule the decision of purchasing property because of his or her limited disposable income. Sonepat and Ghaziabad property market however has been quite stable and has attracted a lot of investors.For more view- realtydigest.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

omg ^ , really??

so_chic_darling said...

Also this is not part of the original building it's a prefab box the put on the roof, it just doesn't show in the photo but it's ugly as hell when you see it in person.

chris said...

Why do people insist on having polished wood floors in bedrooms, etc.? Do they really like to wake up in the morning and go skidding across the floor on the way the the john? When I wake up I want a nice plush carpet below my footsies or at least a decent rug, not polished wood floors.

Anonymous said...

The decor and the interiors are hideous, but I like this apartment. I do love a polished wood floor, partially because of the possibility of skidding across the floors. Sounds fun! I hate carpet, generally, but I can tolerate a nice rug on occasion. What I can't stand, though, is when people won't let you wear shoes on their wood floors. It's wood, people. Your floors should not be more precious than your guests' comfort in wearing shoes. I cannot stand having to take off my shoes to walk in someone's house (unless I'm in Japan!).

Anonymous said...

11:40

You wear shoes inside? Yuk. Trotting in all of that filth? Think about it.

Mike Cook said...

Does absolutely nothing for me.

That kitchen, my eyes!

Anonymous said...

Shoes get taken off by the front door, exchanged for rubber soled house slippers. Hardwood only~ only way to control the cat dander. Carpets hold dirt, smell bad after a while, especially if you have pets.

Kenny said...

i love the hardwood floors and the floor to ceiling windows in the living room.

visit my website at: http://www.homesoftherich.net

lil' gay boy said...

Kenny,

GO AWAY. YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE AND YOUR SITE SUCKS.

Snowman,

Not sure of the formula used to calculate value of outdoor space, only that there is a premium placed on any apartment that has any kind of roof access or rights to such.

But it does look cool from here.

rajni said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.