161 West 16th Street’s retail condo sold for $55 million (building credit: PropertyShark)

Equity One, a North Miami Beach-based real estate investment trust, said it acquired a fee interest in a retail condominium at 161 West 16th Street in Manhattan for $55 million.

The 56,870-square-foot retail space, which faces Seventh Avenue between 16th and 17th streets, previously housed the original Barney’s New York flagship and currently houses a Loehmann’s apparel store under a lease that expires in March 2016.

“This transaction is consistent with our strategy of acquiring irreplaceable urban retail locations with below-market leases that allow for future growth,” Equity One CEO Jeff Olson said in a statement. [more]

Starchitect Frank Williams, known for his geometric-style Manhattan skyscrapers and international influence, has died at age 73. Williams made a notable impact on the New York City skyline, helping create over 20 buildings in the city, many of which are visible from Central Park, according to the New York Times. His portfolio includes the 57-story Trump Palace at 200 East 69th Street on the corner of Third Avenue, the tallest building on the Upper East Side, the Four Seasons at 57 East 57th Street and the 55-story W hotel in Times Square. Even so, Williams told The Real Deal in 2007 that he enjoyed spending time under the radar. “He’s a very talented architect who doesn’t like bragging about his work even though he should,” Donald Trump told The Real Deal at the time.

Keith Olbermann bought a second unit in Trump Palace

Two weeks ago, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann purchased a second apartment
in the building in which he lives, Trump Palace at 200 East 69th
Street, at Third Avenue, Cityfile reported today. Olbermann, who bought a 2,100-square-foot,
three-bedroom apartment in the building for $4.2 million in 2007, spent
$810,000 for his recent purchase on the building’s seventh floor. The
apartment was listed for $849,000. Olbermann paid $203,000 in cash and
obtained a mortgage for the rest of the purchase price. It is unclear
why Olbermann wanted the second apartment. [more]