It’s Free to Look: 941 Park Avenue

Finally, 941 offers some Park Avenue sass, with shocking exterior flourishes and bold design choices not usually welcome in these parts.

Let's start with the outside of the building, designed by Schwartz & Gross, the firm responsible for much of the neighborhood's coveted pre-war addresses. This particular building stands out, however, with bold white cornices and "rope quoins" (the moldings on the corners, apparently), which have won a mixture of praise and bewilderment.

The protruding air conditioners and giant water tank on top don't exactly lend it Park Avenue class. But, rest assured, this 1927 building with a mere 34 apartments is solidly reserved for the upper crust. The current neighbors include a who's who of New York bureaucracy past and present, including former city comptroller Harrison Goldin and a top school system official.

Your particular $15 million unit is itself quite old school, including a 28-foot foyer, wood-burning fireplaces and a formal dining room with the essential newly renovated powder room, according to the Sotheby's listing. The current decor features some bold paint and wallpaper choices, which put you right at home in the rare Park Avenue building that dares to be different.

If the price is just slightly more than you can afford, take heart that Lloyd Blankfein recently sold his spot in the building for $12.15 million, down from the original asking price of $15 million. - Laura Kusisto