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Katie Holmes seeks refuge at Chelsea Mercantile
Actress is reportedly staying in the converted factory building — not at family's GV townhouse
In the weeks before filing for divorce from megastar Tom Cruise, actress Katie Holmes reportedly rented a unit in Chelsea, where she is apparently with the couple’s 6-year-old daughter, Suri, according to the New York Post and other publications. A crush of news cameras Monday morning had staked out the entrance to the Chelsea Mercantile, located at 252 Seventh Avenue, between 24th and 25th streets, where Radar Online and other websites had Holmes staying.
Cruise and Holmes own a 8,100-square-foot West Village townhouse, located at 42 West 12th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues. According to public records, the couple purchased the Greenwich Village townhouse in April 2009 for $15.1 million.
Since the beginning of June, the Chelsea Mercantile has leased out several units: A three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom unit rented for $12,500 a month on June 13, according to Streeteasy.com. In addition, a one-bedroom, one bathroom unit, listed for $6,500 a month, was no longer available as of June 12. And a $8,995 a month two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with 1,351 square-feet of interior space was no longer available as of June 13.
The former garment factory and municipal office building underwent a massive renovation in the late 1990s. Rockrose Development Corporation purchased the property for $41.1 million in 1997 and spearheaded the conversion into residential units. At the time, a Rockrose executive, told the New York Times that the buildings 350-plus units would be “a throwback to classic loft living with modern-day amenities.” Those amenities include a fitness center, a roof deck and a children’s playroom, according to a broker’s website devoted to the building. There is a Whole Foods market on the ground floor.
The New York Times has reported that Chelsea Mercantile, a condominium, is composed of four now-connected buildings, which were erected between the 1906 and 1914, and range in height from 14 and 19 stories.
According to Curbed, teen idol Nick Jonas in February rented a three-bedroom, three-bathroom duplex penthouse in the building. His rent: a cool $20,000 a month.