Well, we can’t say that we’re surprised that NBC correspondent and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton has inked a deal to move into The Whitman. (At least, if the New York Post can be believed—apparently the whole Clinton family posed for photos with the construction workers when visiting the four-unit luxury condo last week).
The Whitman, at 12 East 26th Street, is just the kind of old-fashioned with lots of new-fangled bells and whistles luxury product that has had buyers frothing at the mouth these days. To wit, 15 Central Park West, 18 Gramercy Park and 135 East 79th Street. A brand new or gut-renovated building molded into classically-styled condos on a Park is a fail-safe residential development play in Manhattan. No one relishes dealing with the awkwardness of kitchenside maids’ rooms pre remodeling job or blue hairs on a co-op board. Nor is townhouse living for everyone. Ditto industrial chic—a painfully played out trend if we ever saw one. Especially not those who have spent eight of their formative years living in the uber-traditional White House.
And obviously Ms. Clinton had to avoid Chelsea. Ms. Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky are said to already live nearby and to have discovered the building on a walk. (Although The Observer secretly hopes that Ms. Clinton first learned of The Whitman by reading our story). The Post reports that Ms. Clinton is in contract to buy a $10.5 million apartment—in other words, she won’t be taking the $22.5 million duplex penthouse. Given that the other three units—all floor-throughs—were priced at $10 million, $10.25 million and $10.5 million, in ascending order corresponding to the floors, we suspect that Ms. Clinton and Mr. Mezvinsky have snapped up the fourth-floor unit, which has a small park-facing terrace.
We’re still awaiting word from Douglas Elliman’s Melanie Lazenby to see if any other contracts in the building have been signed. (And good news, if Chelsea is anything like her parents, she’ll make a great neighbor).
We suppose that this means the totally unsubstantiated rumor that Bill and Hillary were looking at a place in Tribeca was, like most rumors, a little bit true and mostly false. Though the Clintons were apparently involved with helping Chelsea conduct her house hunt. We’re glad to see that the former Secretary of State and former POTUS are keeping busy.
kvelsey@observer.com
