But, really, how far could Ms. Parker have wandered from her beloved Magnolia Bakery?

Granted, she will not be two blocks away, as was the case with the theatrical couple's current townhouse on Charles Street, but the Village is the
Village, even if the address has "East" in it.

Yesterday, The Observer reported that a mysterious buyer, the Heirloom Trust, had purchased a grand 25-foot-wide, 165-year-old Greek Revival-style townhouse at 20 East 10th Street for $18.995 million. This was a year after the trust had passed on a home two doors down, the Pen and Brush studios at 16 East 10th Street. Patrick Gavin, the Douglas Elliman broker who still has that listing, declined to reveal the buyer's true identity, though he did note that the trust had walked because the home could not be delivered vacant at the time--a number of artists at the Pen and Brush had been fighting to save their studios.

They are gone now, as the listing loudly declares, which is rather ironic--had the trust held tight, it would have been able to move into a gold coast home by now, and The Observer might not have stumbled onto its identity. According to a source, Ms. Parker and Mr. Broderick were the ones prepared to buy the Pen and Brush. This person did not know if they had instead settled for the spread two doors down, but considering Ms. Parker's business manager, Frank Selvaggi, is listed on the deed for 20 East 10th Street, well, The Observer is willing to wager our Sex in the City complete series box set that the stars did.

Mr. Selvaggi did not return requests for comment, but here is a YouTube video of the pair hammming it up at last fall's Empire State Pride gala.

The home was sold by Malaysian media mogul Cliff Ng and former model Farrah Summerford, who bought the townhouse in 2000 for $5.03 million, according to city records. Only the fourth buyers in the home's history, they gave it a serious makeover, according to Corcoran broke Eileen Roberts' listing: "The current residents converted the property back to a single-family home in 2000-2001 and continue to meticulously maintain and update it. The design and usage of every inch of this 6800+' space was thought out in advance, and no expense was spared in the extraordinary renovation."

Among the new features that should come in handy for the celebrity buyers is "a Siedle Video Intercom System with 5 security cameras with on demand call-up and 24 hour time lapse recording which stores data for up to a month and/or it can burn the information on a disc. This monitoring system allows computer access from anywhere in the world."

This would also help explain why Ms. Parker is still so worried about whether or not there is a full-service hospital in the neighborhood.

RELATED: Can't Buy the Townhouse You Wanted? Spend $5 Million More on One Two Doors Down. >>

Read past Manhattan Transfers here. >>

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo

Not to worry for this unknown wealthy buyer, as the trust has picked up an even nicer townhouse two doors down. It just paid $19 million for 20 East 10th Street, according to city records. The seller is Clive Ng, a Malaysian-born media mogul, and his former model wife Farrah Summerford. They put the home on the market for $19.9 million in September 2009, and never budged (until they sold it).

By all accounts, the deal was a winner for everyone. The Pen and Brush may still be looking for a buyer, but with townhouses on the rebound, the nonprofit is asking $14.9 million for its former home.

Meanwhile, the trusty buyer had to pay ever so much more than he, she, they or it would have nearby, but this 25-foot-wide home is two years older (1846) if about 1,700 square feet smaller (6,800). It is quite the heirloom, too, as the home is getting only its fifth owner. What really justifies the expense is the extensive renovation undertaken in 2000, when Mr. Ng bought the home for a middling $5.03 million, which spares the buyer the expense of having to overhaul the subdivided Pen and Brush townhouse, which had served as artists studios for some time.

Given the mystery behind the Heirloom Trust, this may just be the perfect home, as described in Eileen Robert's Corcoran listing: "Among its many, many outstanding features, the house contains a 5 zone Carrier HVAC using Puron Technology; a phone system with 11 active lines and the capacity to add up to 250 more; 7 working wood burning fireplaces fitted with electrical exhaust fans and a Siedle Video Intercom System with 5 security cameras with on demand call-up and 24 hour time lapse recording which stores data for up to a month and/or it can burn the information on a disc. This monitoring system allows computer access from anywhere in the world."

Creepy!

Read past Manhattan Transfers here. >>

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo