June 5, 2019
In the Largest Residential Deal Ever Signed Below 42nd Street, Jeff Bezos Buys $80 Million Condo in NoMad
Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon and reportedly the richest man in the world, is moving to NoMad. According to the Wall Street Journal, the tech tycoon has purchased three apartments at 212 Fifth Avenue for $80 million. The penthouse apartment and two units on the floor below it that were purchased by Bezos in May could be combined into a 12 bedroom, 17,000-square-foot home overlooking Madison Square Park in the heart of NoMad.
The 10,079-square-foot penthouse takes up three stories and has five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, a private elevator, and two enormous terraces. The terraces, enclosed by a unique brick wall, offer Bezos the privacy we are sure he will welcome.
212 Fifth Avenue was built in 1912, and is described on StreetEasy as an “iconic neo-Gothic early skyscraper.” Constructed on the site of two of New York’s most famous Gilded Age restaurants— Delmonico’s and Café Martin—as a manufacturing building, it was converted to condominiums in 2012, many of which boast exceptional views of the city and the park.
This comes just months after Amazon cancelled its plans to build a new headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. Despite the decision not to move forward with the plan, Amazon still employs roughly 5,000 people in the city, and has an increasing presence through its increasing number of retail stores. It has also been reported that Amazon has been looking for new office space on the West Side of Manhattan. The company is allegedly seeking at least 100,000 square feet. In light of these developments, Bezos’s recent purchase makes a great deal of sense.
While Bezos’s cost falls short of Ken Griffin’s record-breaking purchase of a $238 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South, it gives NoMad the most expensive real estate deal ever closed south of 42nd Street.
Interestingly, there has been speculation for months that Bezos himself was considering 220 Central Park South for his new Manhattan pad. His decision to buy at 212 Fifth Avenue in NoMad seems more in line with his involvement in the creative and tech industries. NoMad is happy to welcomes one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the United States.