Reality imitates reality TV: Eklund out, Serhant in at 56 Walker

In a shake-up that seems almost scripted for reality television, Ryan Serhant’s team will replace Fredrik Eklund’s at the boutique development at 56 Walker Street in Tribeca.

Back in June, Douglas Elliman’s Eklund Gomes Team was tapped to exclusively market Six Sigma’s 56 Walker Street, which only has four units. Only one, third-floor unit was ever publicly listed at $6.7 million. That unit remains the only unit listed on OLR.

No units are listed for sale on Streeteasy and prices for the units have not been added to Nest Seekers’ website, which simply says: “Coming soon.”

But about five days ago, Elliman’s team was abruptly dropped from the project and Nest Seekers’ Ryan Serhant was tapped.

“I don’t really know the details regarding the previous deal [with Elliman],” Serhant told The Real Deal Saturday. “All I know is that it’s a four-unit building and there are still four units that haven’t been sold.”

Serhant said that since coming on to the project, he has rebranded the building with the name, “Walker House.” On Wednesday, he is holding a launch party for the building, “co-hosted” with Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

“It’s on Walker Street. It’s called Walker House. Of course we are going to have Johnnie Walker! And Johnnie Blue is the most expensive, so why not?” Serhant said.

Earlier this year, developer Jason Lee of Six Sigma revealed that the apartments at the project are highly automated with light switches replaced by iPod touch screens, handles on kitchen cabinets replaced by touch sensors and rain sensors on windows that automatically close when precipitation is detected.

Asked if the marketing shakeup was in anyway scripted for Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing New York,” Serhant said, “Absolutely not.”

“I mean, you can Google. He [Eklund] may not even be coming back to the show,” Serhant said, referring to rumors that Eklund had been dropped from the show over what TMZ has called “diva demands.”

However, Eklund’s manager, Steven Grossman, told TMZ in September that Eklund will be back next season and that it is absurd to think Eklund would be fired for being a diva from a network with 100 “Real Housewives” on its payroll.

He did add that there are talks of a spin-off show starring Eklund, and that he would be leaving the series if those plans pan out.

Richard Caplan Photography

Richard Caplan Photography

Richard Caplan Photography

Richard Caplan Photography

Richard Caplan Photography

Richard Caplan Photography