The San Remo –Manhattan Upper Westside Luxury Coop Building – New York City

The twin towers of the San Remo has made it one of the most recognizable facades in Manhattan, and it has made guest appearances in more movies and TV programs than I'd care to count. Considered to be New York City's most beautiful apartment building, it has maintained its reputation as one of the most prestigious addresses in Manhattan.

Emery Roth, the building's architect built this first of New York's twin towered apartment buildings by taking advantage of new zoning regulations in the area.  He also designed the famous Beresford, and other buildings in Manhattan that have been declared landmarks.  Unfortunately, construction of the San Remo started in 1929, virtually weeks before the stock market crash, and the eventual Great Depression. Construction took about two years, and a year after it opened more than a quarter of the units were still unoccupied. The bank that held the mortgage fell into bankruptcy, and both the San Remo and the Beresford were sold in 1940 for $25,000 over the existing mortgages.

The San Remo was converted to a coop in the 1970's, and is now one of the most desirable and expensive apartment buildings in Manhattan. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis purchased a duplex apartment in the South tower in 1987, and combined it with the tower's mechanical and storage space above it to create a 7000 square foot triplex apartment with 360-degree views from all floors. Steven Spielberg combined two Park-facing apartments on the 13^th floor into a 6000 square foot duplex with terraces. 

A 2650 square foot three-bedroom apartment on the 2^nd floor recently went into contract, and was on the market at $4,750,000.  The best units in the building generally sell in the $15 - $20 million range, however, Tiger Woods reportedly purchased a unit in 2008 for $28 million.  The building probably attracts celebrities due to the board, which has a reputation of "lenient admissions standards," as compared to the more conservative "old money" buildings on the East side of the Park.  In any event, it is the epitome of elegant New York City living.