Developer Maurice Mann and the interior and exterior of a penthouse unit at the Laureate

Maurice Mann, the original developer of the Apthorp condominium conversion, has purchased a penthouse unit at the Laureate, the Stahl Organization’s new luxury condominium at 2150 Broadway, for over $7 million, according to public records filed with the city today.

Mann closed on the 2,532-square-foot, three-bedroom residence at the Laureate on Nov. 18, according to records, with a price of $7.37 million. Though he was not immediately available for comment, a person who answered the phone at his office confirmed the purchase.

The unit, which boasts “a great room with extra large windows and a set of French doors that open to a Juliet balcony at the [front] of the building,” was last listed with Shlomi Reuveni, a broker and head of the Brown Harris Stevens Select team, for $7.7 million, according to Streeteasy.com. [more]

Sales have officially launched at Reade57, a 21-story condominium in Tribeca developed by the John Buck Company, according to a release from the developer.

Brown Harris Stevens Select is marketing the building at 57 Reade Street, which was designed by SLCE Architects.

“Reade57 is unlike any recent new development project Tribeca has seen in terms of its competitive price point and diversified unit mix, offering one- and two-bedroom homes in a neighborhood dominated by multi-million dollar lofts,” said Shlomi Reuveni, executive vice president of Brown Harris Stevens Select.– Miranda Neubauer [more]

Reade57From the April issue: In a city defined by soaring skyscrapers, a 20-story condominium is hardly considered a towering giant. But in Tribeca, a neighborhood marked by low-rise buildings and sprawling lofts, the New Modernist, glass-construction Reade57, a high-rise with smaller-scale apartments, will stand apart as a residential alternative in the area. At least that’s what its developers, the John Buck Company, are hoping. The Chicago-based firm, the builders behind the swanky Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, plans to launch sales at the 84-unit condo in the middle of next month, with Brown Harris Stevens Select serving as the exclusive marketing agent. [more]

From the May issue: The first-quarter market reports released last month by the city’s major residential firms yielded few shockers. With sales volume largely unchanged from last year, industry experts agreed that the market is generally stable.

But the data did bring one unexpected twist: an unusual spike in the number of co-ops sold.

The first quarter saw “an unusually high” number of co-op transactions versus condos, said Jonathan Miller, CEO of Miller Samuel and the preparer of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s market report.

“Co-ops are seeing a burst of activity, and condos are seeing a sharp drop,” Miller said.

Elliman’s report found 1,430 closed sales of co-ops in the first quarter, surging 28.7 percent from 1,111 in the same period of last year. Condo sales, meanwhile, dropped 24.3 percent to 964 from 1,273 in the prior-year quarter. [more]

By Sarabeth Sanders and Amy Tennery

The Real Deal  attended an event celebrating the launch of Barbara Corcoran’s new book, “Shark Tales: How I turned $1,000 into a billion dollar business,” last night inside 15 Union Square West’s apartment 5B, which Brown Harris Stevens is currently marketing for $8.1 million. The party was chock full of nautical delights — including shirtless, so-called surfer boys, twin retro bathing suit ladies and a bathtub mermaid — and awash with mai tais and champagne, as well as custom sushi rolls. It drew both real estate bigwigs and Corcoran’s other business buddies, including several co-judges from her entrepreneurial reality show, “Shark Tank.” [more]

From left: Adriana Acedo, managing director with Brown Harris Stevens Select; Lisa Meyer, marketing director with BHS Select; John Jendras, John Jendras, vice president, the John Buck Company; John A. Buck, chairman and CEO of John Buck; Shlomi Reuveni, an executive vice president with BHS Select; and a rendering of Reade57

A new condominium in Tribeca, Reade57, plans to launch sales this spring, after recently topping off construction, according to developer the John Buck Company and Brown Harris Stevens Select, which is marketing the property. John Buck, a Chicago-based firm, also developed the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District. Reade57, a 20-story building at 57 Reade Street on the corner of Broadway, will include 84 studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, ranging in size from 713 square feet to 1,863 square feet. The condos are priced from $814,000 to $2.49 million. TRD [more]

From the August issue: From one of the penthouse terraces at the Element, a condo on West 59th
Street a block and a half from the Hudson River, marketer Shlomi
Reuveni gives a bird’s eye tour of the changes to the surrounding area
over the past few years.
Immediately to the north, he points out, there’s the new condo 10
West End Avenue. Across the street, John Jay College is building a new
facility. A couple blocks north, the Extell Development Company has
broken ground on the latest buildings in its massive Riverside South
project. Further south, Fordham University is planning its expansion. The
surrounding blocks — which were largely industrial until a few years
ago — are dotted with several other new condos and rentals. [more]