GET SWEPT UP IN MANHATTAN’S SWEEPING PANORAMA IN THIS DAZZLING DUPLEX PENTHOUSE IN A CENTRAL PARK SUPERTOWER
BY AMANDA McCOY PHOTOS BY EVAN JOSEPH AND IVANE KATAMASHVILI
“Architecture exists, like cinema, in the dimension of time and movement,” waxed the famed Parisian architect Jean Nouvel, the hands and mind behind several prodigious projects around the globe, from cultural landmarks to five-star hotels and luxury residences. The Pritzker Prize winner conceptualized the 260,000-square-foot Louvre in Abu Dhabi, along with the towering observation deck, Mirador torre Glóries, in Barcelona. In the early 2010s, his artistic vision, at-once bold yet quixotic, proved to be the perfect fit for an ambitious new hybrid supertower slated for Manhattan’s Midtown West. In 2015, 53 West 53 broke ground, Nouvel’s sights set on 1,050 feet toward the sky.
Located directly adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the 82-story residential tower was completed in 2019. Nouvel designed an unconventional diagrid structure (an architectural framework made up of diagonally intersecting beams, which eliminates the need for interior columns) to allow for open, airy homes with uninterrupted vistas of Central Park, the Hudson River, East River, and the sweeping cityscape. The building boasts three floors of MoMA exhibition galleries at its base, resting below 162 ultra-haute homes crafted by the late Thierry Despont, an internationally acclaimed design dignitary whose resume includes the Ritz Paris and the centennial restoration of the Statue of Liberty.
Each home is unquestionably classified as ultra-luxury, boasting floor-to-ceiling windows and custom elements by Despont, but the penthouse collection is particularly decadent. One of its crown jewels is Penthouse 76, a one-of-a-kind duplex dripping in dazzle. Comprising the entire 76th and 77th floors, the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom sky palace stretches 7,973 square feet and offers a full 360-degree show to the Manhattan skyline. Here, views are served like holiday feasts; in fact, denizens can see the entirety of Central Park from the dining room window, an emerald treasure in a sea of concrete and steel.
The dual-story home is accessible via a private elevator and offers a dedicated service entrance. The lower level houses the great room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, and library, plus a corner bedroom (the library can also be utilized as a fourth bedroom). Soaring 21-foot ceilings in the great room dramatically blanket the space in natural light, while a limestoneclad gas fireplace and cushy sofas offer plenty of space to curl and get cozy on a chilly New York night. Meander down an airy gallery to find the formal dining room, serving meals whipped up in the adjacent kitchen. Whether inhabitants love to cook themselves or bring in private chefs, the kitchen is a visual marvel, dressed with polished statuary marble countertops, a back-lit statuary backsplash, and back-painted glass cabinetry with polished nickel detailing. Expect only top-end appliances and fixtures from Dornbracht, Miele, and Sub-Zero.
Despont elected a design theme that marries extravagance with ease, thus most of the furniture is as lounge worthy as it is luxurious. The office, draped in a plush open-fiber carpet that fills the room, features a deep, sumptuous loveseat, hand-carved Cleopatra chair, and armchairs, all overlooking the illuminated tower of the Empire State Building. The primary bedroom is especially cozy; located on the top level, accessible via a glamorous backlit staircase or interior elevator, the swanky suite is dressed in several shades of ivory, from the pile rug to the boucle loveseat at the end of the bed. Long, languid weekend mornings are guaranteed through motorized Lutron blackout shades.
The primary bathroom is a visual work of art. It features two separate custom caved vanities with circular mirrors floating on opposite sides of the cast iron Lefroy Brooks soaking tub. At night, turn off all but the under-tub accent lights and bathe amid the twinkle of New York’s skyline. There’s also a freestanding steam shower, plus radiant heated floors for chillier days. To round out the primary suite, a generous walk-in closet with custom built-ins offers all the room one could need to store their Versace and Valentino.
More than 30,000 square feet was set aside for the building’s amenities, from the 15,000-square-foot wellness center by Wright Fit to the 46th-floor lounge overlooking Central Park. Health and wellness offerings include a naturally lit 65-foot lap pool with vertical garden walls by famed French landscape designer Patrick Blanc, a golf simulator, a regulation squash court, sauna, steam rooms, private suites, and a fitness studio, while lifestyle standouts span an octagonal, double-height wine tasting room cast in dark wood and a private cinema.
Homeowners can also take advantage of extravagant resident-only dining experiences at the on-site restaurant, 53 by Altamarea Group, a contemporary Asian concept helmed by the Singapore-born super-chef Akmal Anuar.
53 53rd St W, PH76 is listed for $63,815,000.
53 West 53
Listed by Douglas Elliman