shaving some dollars off a whole lot of wonderful space at 152 Franklin Street

massive, meticulous
The 2d floor at 152 Franklin Street is a fairly massive Manhattan loft, at "4,058 sq ft", that is so "meticulously designed" that there are "a series of interlocking spaces surrounding a gourmand‘s kitchen". (Thanks to Stribling’s Sean Turner for sending me to a dictionary to ponder the difference from a mere gourmet kitchen.)

haircut
It came to market in November at $5.2mm and just took 2 days temporarily off the market before coming back with a warm weather haircut to $4.65mm (with only $2,799/mo in condo charges). [update on its sale below]

size matters
The full floor loft is 50 x 87 feet wide at its largest points, yet is configured with only 2 bedrooms (both en suite), with a third bath near the kitchen. These proportions are more squat than a typical Long-and-Narrow loft, though it does have windows only on each narrow-ish end (6 large at each end). That gourmand kitchen is a thing to behold. Gluttonous, one might say.

Toggle between the 3rd picture on the web and the floor plan and you will see that the picture is of only half of the kitchen. You can see the 3 sinks and 6 burners, but I will take his word that there are 4 ovens and 2 dishwashers. If the floor plan proportions are accurate, the kitchen is significantly larger than either bedroom — probably close to 300 sq ft of gleaming Baulthup.

When was the last time you saw a largely open loft with 6 zones for central air?

finishes matter
This is one Manhattan loft listing about which there is no suspicion about the finishes that are described but not depicted. No thought that maybe the Japanese glass and terrazzo floors in the sleek baths might not be so hot … no doubt at all. This has got to be a million dollar renovation (at least) so I will be shocked if the 2d floor over Franklin Street presents any noise issues.

Anybody out there have a life style for this much entertaining space and only 2 bedrooms?

[apparently, YES, as it traded with a contract signed about March 18 and a deed filed on August 29 for $4.625mm  —  just the slimmest ‘discount’ from the asking price]


© Sandy Mattingly 2008