The Atelier and actor Mekhi Pfifter

Former “E.R.” and “8 Mile” star Mekhi Pfifer has temporarily returned to the East Coast and is renting at the Atelier at 635 West 42nd Street while starring on Broadway, a source with knowledge of the move told The Real Deal.

The actor and Harlem native is currently in rehearsals for “Stick Fly,” a play by American writer Lydia Diamond, set to begin previews Nov. 18 at the Cort Theatre at 138 West 48th Street. The show is being produced by Alicia Keys, who is also composing an original score for the production.

Dan Neiditch, president of River 2 River Realty, the firm handling rentals and sales for the building, would not confirm that Pfifer was renting at the building, but said the Atelier is often a top choice for Hollywood stars temporarily in town while treading the boards on Broadway. [more]

From left: the Atelier at 635 West 42nd Street, Lindsay Lohan, Dane Cook, Dania Ramirez and Brendan Fraser

When new Manhattan condo the Atelier debuted in 2007, actress Lindsay Lohan was offered an apartment there (reportedly for free) to help give West 42nd Street building some star power. Though the ploy was widely reported as a publicity stunt, it seems to have helped get other celebrities’ attention. Sources say comedian Dane Cook recently checked out apartments in the Far West Side building. The funnyman will appear in Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig” on Broadway this spring. Meanwhile, “Entourage” hottie Dania Ramirez has been renting an apartment at the Atelier for the past six months.  Brendan Fraser also scoped out the building this fall, when he did a short stint on Broadway in “Elling.” [more]

The Atelier rents out its roof deck for $5,000 to $10,000. The extra income has helped it reduce common charges.

From the March issue: It might be the real estate equivalent of coupon clipping or small-time political fundraising: Many condo and co-op boards in New York are keeping a sharp eye out for creative ways to trim their common charges and bring in extra revenue for their buildings.

The strategies run the gamut from hosting photo shoots to scaling back on electrical usage, but the goal of improving the building’s finances is always the same.

For example, the Atelier, a 478-unit condo at 635 West 42nd Street, is renting out its Sky Lounge roof deck year-round for private parties. Hillary Clinton and Lindsay Lohan have each already rented out the space, according to Dan Neiditch, the president of the building’s condo board.

The building makes the space available once a week at rates of $5,000 to $10,000 and rents the space out a few times a month, Neiditch said. The revenue has helped the building lower its common charges by 10 percent, said Neiditch, who is also the president of River 2 River Realty. [more]

From left: Diane Levine of Sotheby’s International Realty, 168 West 73rd Street, Neil Binder of Bellmarc Realty

While a significant portion of listings — roughly 33 percent,
according to Streeteasy.com — saw price cuts last month, there was an
increase in sales and many brokers started elevating asking prices to
enhance their units’ image, to leave room for haggling or because they
thought the market was turning around. Upwards of 850 homes in Manhattan sold in August, according to figures compiled by The Real Deal
using Streeteasy.com data, up from approximately 760 deals made a month
prior. Almost 5 percent of all Manhattan homes on the market last
month, the data shows, saw price increases; those price changes
averaged 6.4 percent. And those price increases were seen across the price spectrum. [more]