Tom Cruise sells longtime East Village condo

Actor bought the American Felt Building apartment after starring in “Risky Business”

From left: the American Felt Building, Tom Cruise in "Risky Business"
From left: the American Felt Building, Tom Cruise in "Risky Business"

Tom Cruise is in contract to sell his condominium unit at the American Felt Building in the East Village for $3 million, a source familiar with the transaction told The Real Deal today.

The 41-unit building at 114 East 13th Street, between Third and Fourth avenues, was constructed in 1984, when Cruise, fresh off his star-making turn in “Risky Business,” purchased the 2,200-square-foot apartment.

The two-bedroom unit features a state-of-the-art gym which could double as a third bedroom. Though the 12-story building is known for its loft-like ceilings, the ceilings in Cruise’s 10th-floor unit have been lowered to nine feet, thought it was unclear why.

Cruise signed the contract last week, the source said, and is in the market for a home with a garage to avoid the press and unwanted attention. In July, the 50-year-old actor reportedly began contacting New York City real estate agents, including Donna Senko of Sotheby’s International Realty, to find a secluded home in Westchester or Connecticut.

He and ex-wife Katie Holmes already own a small empire of real estate across the U.S., including a 10,286-square-foot Beverly Hills estate with a tennis court and an 8,100-square-foot brownstone at 42 West 12th Street in Manhattan. Holmes has been camping out at the Chelsea Mercantile at 252 Seventh Avenue during the divorce proceedings, although the source said she has lived at the Felt building apartment in the past.

Indeed, Cruise shared the residence with his trio of ex-wives — including Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman — and also lived there with former girlfriends Rebecca De Mornay (his Risky Business co-star) and Cher, who stayed in the apartment with her children, according to the source.

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Named for its former occupant, a manufacturer that supplied felt for Steinway pianos, the American Felt Building is also home to author Brett Easton Ellis; Fabrizio Moretti, the drummer of rock band the Strokes; and the band’s manager, Ryan Gentles.

“The floor plans may seem small, but some creative engineering has turned the loft apartments into unique spaces tricked out with platforms, balconies, extra windows [and] interior walls,” a description of the building on Streeteasy.com said. “Truly, no two apartments are alike in this building.”

The apartment was not listed, nor were brokers involved in the private sale. The buyer was not immediately known.

Matthew Adam Properties manages the building. Ira Meister, the company’s founder and president, declined to comment.

A representative for Cruise could not immediately be reached.