The Real Deal was on the party circuit this week, soaking in the New York City views from Dumbo to Harlem. We feted the launch of the East River Ferry, got our spa on with the folks from Trump Soho at nearby rental building 55 Thompson Street, followed Robert A.M. Stern to 1280 Fifth Avenue and, for a moment, envisioned ourselves in Sarah Jessica Parker’s high-heeled shoes, as we checked out the Greenwich Village townhouse she once sought to buy. Check out our adventures in the photo gallery above and after the jump. – Sarabeth Sanders and Katherine Clarke [more]

Laurie Tisch and unit 9N at the Brentmore

Heiress Laurie Tisch had very nearly unloaded her $21.5 million duplex at the Brentmore earlier this year, when would-be buyer Sarah Jessica Parker pulled out of the deal and took her Manolos to Greenwich Village instead. But that’s old news, and now so is the duplex, because Tisch just sold off nine rooms of it to a mystery buyer. According to a rep for listing brokers Cindy Kurtin and Jessica Vertullo Maher, both of Stribling & Associates, unit 9N at 88 Central Park West closed for $15 million. TRD [more]

Will Carrie Bradshaw return to the Upper East Side? Sarah Jessica
Parker and Matthew Broderick are continuing their seemingly endless
apartment hunt but have shifted their sights to Park Avenue, according
to the Post. The couple — previously spotted checking out a penthouse 54 Bond Street
and a townhouse in the West Village — were recently seen taking a look
at the $29.8 million penthouse duplex at 610 Park Avenue, the former
Mayfair Hotel. As The Real Deal previously reported, the condo belongs to Taiwanese-American Nautica founder David Chu,
who now lives at 15 Central Park West with his wife, philanthropist
Gina Chu. The five-bedroom apartment was initially listed for $32.8
million with the Corcoran Group’s Carrie Chiang when it officially hit
the market in March, which made it one of the top 10 most expensive
condo listings in the city. The 7,700-square-foot spread, has a
1,450-square-foot private rooftop terrace, solarium and formal dining
room. Residents have access to concierge services, valet parking and a
fitness center, and also opt for maid service and catering from French
restaurateur Daniel Boulud’s eponymous restaurant downstairs. [Post, 2nd item]

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An LLC purchased a multi-million dollar townhouse at 67 Charles Street

A few weeks ago, the real estate world was abuzz with rumors that “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker was the mysterious buyer of an $8.45 million townhouse at 17 Prospect Park West in Park Slope. After all, the thinking went, the buyers used a corporate name, Harken Pretty LLC, that sounded remarkably similar to Parker’s Pretty Matches Productions. And who, other than a celebrity, would form a limited liability company simply to buy a home? A lot of people, it turns out. The buyer of the mansion turned out to be a Google engineer who wanted to conceal the sale price from less well-compensated colleagues, the New York Times reported. The sale is one of a growing number of anonymous real estate purchases, brokers say, in an environment where ostentatious spending is now considered déclassé.  More

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Husband-and-wife actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are not moving to 17 Prospect Park West, despite rumors that they had purchased the townhouse. A Google engineer and his wife actually purchased the house late last year for $8.45 million. The townhouse was purchased by a limited liability company called Harken Pretty. Some had speculated that the company was related to Parker’s production company, Pretty Matches Productions. But “Harken Pretty” is actually an anagram of the buyers’ first names, the New York Times reported. [more]

Husband-and-wife actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are rumored to own a
townhouse on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn. Sources told the New York
Post that a company connected to Parker bought the townhouse, which was
previously owned by Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Limited
liability company Harken Pretty purchased the nine-bedroom home, which
is now undergoing renovation, for $8.45 million in December. It is much
larger than the townhouse Parker and Broderick currently own in the
West Village. [more]

The feud between the Apthorp’s owners, Africa Israel Investments and
Mann Realty Associates, has ended, and the building’s brokers are
focused on selling the units. Howard Lorber, chairman of Prudential
Douglas Elliman, said that prices will soon fall further at the Apthorp
because sponsors have to sign up a number of buyers before September,
the deadline set in the offering plan. Lorber said Elliman has eight to
10 deals in the works, including one potential buyer who reportedly
offered less than $1,500 a square foot for a unit, a price so low the
sponsors would have to go back to their lenders for approval. Asking
prices at the condo building, located at 390 West End Avenue, have fallen to an average of $1,950 a square foot
from $2,400 to $3,000. Some celebrities have reportedly been looking at
the building, including actors Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker and
husband Matthew Broderick, and music executive Tommy Mottola. [NYT] and [Crain's] [more]