Will Elie Tahari rent at One Lincoln Plaza?

The designer’s dreams of renting at 15 Central Park West may be dashed


From left: Elie Tahari, One Lincoln Plaza, 15 Central Park West

Fashion designer Elie Tahari may be giving up on renting at 15 Central Park West.

He was spotted last week looking at a $29,995-per-month rental at nearby post-war condo One Lincoln Plaza, sources told The Real Deal.

But the New York Post reported late last month that the designer was in
contract to rent a two-bedroom rental at glitzy new condo 15 Central
Park West — home to celebrities like Yankee Alex Rodriguez and Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein — for $30,000 a month.

The deal hit trouble when the current renters, hedge fund mogul Russell
Abrams and his family, refused to move out, saying they’d been promised
a two-year lease. Abrams last month sued the owner of the apartment,
Marisa Chearavanont, and her real estate broker, Brown Harris Stevens’
Jenny Park Adam, in New York Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Tahari appears to be considering other options.

One Lincoln Plaza, developed in the 1970s by the Milstein family, is located at 20
West 64th Street between Broadway and Central Park West. The
3,200-square-foot apartment Tahari saw has four bedrooms and four and a
half bathrooms, park views and his-and-her walk-in closets, according
to the listing. The listing broker, Prudential Douglas Elliman Senior
Vice President Victoria Shtainer, declined to comment, as did Rick
Kelly, the Elliman broker who is said to be representing Tahari.

Tahari and his wife, Rory, who are reportedly separated, sold their 9,600-square-foot cooperative at 141 Prince Street for $27.5 million in June. Press representatives for the Taharis did not respond to calls for comment.

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Chearavanont began eviction proceedings against Abrams on June 30, the
day the lease expired, according to her attorney, Morrell Berkowitz of
law firm Gallet Dreyer & Berkey.

Abrams, the head of Titan Capital Group, had signed a one-year lease to
rent the apartment with his then-pregnant wife for $20,000 per month,
but claims in the suit that he had been promised a two-year-lease at
the “majestic and prestigious 15 CPW.”

The Robert A.M. Stern-designed condominium has rules restricting
residents from leasing their apartments for more than a year at a time,
but the suit says Abrams was told he would be allowed to resubmit an
application for another year at the end of the lease term. Instead, the
apartment was rented to another, higher-paying tenant (reportedly
Tahari).

“But for the brokers’ unbridled greed to secure another commission,
there would be no issue here,” court documents say.
Adam said through a BHS spokesperson that she has no comment, and
Abrams’ attorney, Larry Hutcher of Davidoff, Malito & Hutcher, did
not respond to requests for comment.

“The owner believes the Supreme Court case has no merit,” Berkowitz
said. “We are vigorously [pursuing] eviction in landlord tenant court.”

Tahari’s lease was reportedly slated to start July
1, but the Abrams have not yet moved out. It’s not clear how long
Tahari is obligated to wait for the 15 Central Park West apartment
before renting elsewhere.

The eviction case heads to New York County Housing Court at 111 Centre Street Thursday, Berkowitz said.

As for Rory Tahari, she sold her two-bedroom, 72 Mercer Street
apartment in February for $3.2 million and a representative for the
family told the Post she is looking for opportunities to invest.

Have a tip? E-mail Candace Taylor at ct@therealdeal.com.