Greta Garbo’s “cinematic” co-op asks $5.95M

Legendary actress Greta Garbo may have died in 1990, but the agents looking to sell her Upper East Side apartment are betting that her star power lives on.

In a promotional video, they tout the cinematic allure of Garbo’s former co-op, where she lived from 1953 until her death at age 84. The fifth-floor apartment, located at the Campanile at 450 East 52nd Street, is asking $5.95 million. Since Garbo’s death, her niece, Gray Reisfield, and her husband, lived in the apartment for years.

Despite renovations in the 1990s, some of Garbo’s furnishings remain, including woodwork from a built-in armoire in the bedroom and a rug designed by the actress, family members told the Wall Street Journal. They are selling now for estate-tax purposes, they said. Halstead Property’s [TRDataCustom] Woody Kerr, Will Kerr and Brian Lewis have the listing.

In the promotional video, a man says: “Each room is its own scene in a film. Whether it is the sunrise or the sunset, it is always cinematic.”

The co-op has three bedrooms, a 34-foot living room and 11 windows facing the East River. Maintenance is just over $9,000 a month, and the co-op requires cash purchases.

But not all brokers are buying into the schtick. “Greta Garbo means something to a certain age group,” said Olshan Realty’s Donna Olshan, who is selling an apartment at River House across the street.

Woody Kerr insisted that Garbo’s “legendary” name has generated immediate interest in the co-op, which the brokers have shown 20 times since it hit the market Tuesday. [WSJ] — E.B. Solomont