The Broadway theater duo that was Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein famously redefined musical theater with their first collaboration on Oklahoma! in 1943. Actress and muse Mary Martin starred in the award-winning pair’s final production, The Sound of Music, which debuted on Broadway in 1959 and landed the creative duo five Tony awards, not to mention a wildly popular film adaptation starring Julie Andrews.
While racking up awards and clout, Martin shacked up in a tony penthouse overlooking New York City, and it remains the crown jewel of The Campanile, a pre-war apartment house that stands 14 stories with 16 full-floor or duplex apartments in the Beekman Place neighborhood on the east side of Midtown. Manhattan attorney David H. Braff bought the co-op apartment in 2013 for $8.25 million, according to Mansion Global, and proceeded to spend three years renovating the two-floor spread that has three terraces and sweeping vistas of the East River and the Big Apple skyline. It’s now listed at $9.8 million.
The luxurious bronze-and-marble staircase sweeps up to the kitchen and dining room.
Kellen Houde/Real Estate Production Network
The Camponile, at 450 East 52nd Street, comes with a lot of ties to high society and old Hollywood. Greta Garbo, Rex Harrison, and Ethel Barrymore are just a few of the stars who once took up residence there, along with playwright Noël Coward, TIME magazine founder Henry Luce, and members of the Pulitzer and Rothschild families. The building was also famously home to the Mayfair Yacht Club, a swanky Prohibition-era speakeasy that was raided at least once in the 1930s.
Mary Martin’s former duplex penthouse continues to illuminate Jazz Age elegance across its 5,000 unconventionally configured square feet. A private elevator opens into the marble-floored foyer of the two-bedroom home, where there’s a wet bar and a decadent bronze-and-marble staircase that sweeps up to the upper floor. The 33-foot-long fireside great room sits just beyond, with panoramic windows and French doors that open to a generous south-facing terrace. Upstairs—here’s the unusal part of the penthouse’s layout—is the combined dining area and open-plan gourmet kitchen, which is decked out with a La Cornue stone, a corner fireplace, and a trio of French doors leading to a wrap-around terrace. Adjacent to the space is a glass-encased sunroom that also lets out to the rooftop terrace.
The primary bedroom has a private terrace and an expansive view of the Queensboro Bridge.
Kellen Houde/Real Estate Production Network
Extraordinary views highlight the primary suite, alongside a marble-clad en-suite bathroom with a soaking tub and steam shower options. Heated marble floors keep you cozy on trips to its two walk-in closets and vanity as well. Other standout amenities include a wood-paneled study—a Murphy bed allows it to function as the second bedroom—a temperature-controlled wine storage room, and a dedicated laundry room. High tech creature comforts include a custom home automation system for controlling the lights, shades, and music.
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“Because of the way Manhattan is shaped and the height of the apartment, it feels like it is in the middle of the river with no surrounding buildings,” listing agent Tyler Whitman of The Agency claims in a statement.
Click here for more images of the sprawling penthouse.
Kellen Houde/Real Estate Production Network
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
