F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker Both Lived in This $6 Million Pre-War N.Y.C. Penthouse
For the literary elite of the 1920s and ‘30s, Manhattan’s Beekman neighborhood was the place to be, an elegant retreat where intellectuals and artists gathered to create and converse. And perched high above it all, at 444 East 52nd Street, is a penthouse that once served as a sanctuary for two of America’s most celebrated writers: Dorothy Parker and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Now on the market for a speck under $6 million with Coldwell Banker Warburg brokers Andrea Wernick, Arlene Reed, and Rebecca Blacker, this grand duplex is a chapter straight out of New York’s gilded past.
Spanning the tenth and eleventh floors of an iconic Art Deco building, Penthouse N is a dream for anyone who appreciates old-school grandeur. With three bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and a powder room, the 3,000-square-foot residence offers sprawling proportions and a sweeping wraparound terrace that encircles the main level and lets you soak in the East River and city skyline. Inside, arched entryways, soaring ceilings, and hand-pegged oak floors feel straight out of a Fitzgerald novel. Elsewhere, a dramatic 30-foot gallery leads into a fireside living room, where, let’s be honest, one can easily imagine The Great Gatsby author sipping a drink or two while musing over his next book.
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The kitchen, a warm mix of mahogany and granite, comes complete with a staff room (now an office with a skylight) and a powder room, ensuring that even the most demanding of literary salons could be catered to with ease.
Three bedrooms on the lower level each sport en-suite baths—one has a wood-burning fireplace because why settle for just one?—with the primary suite offering dual bathrooms, a spacious dressing room, and built-in mahogany closets fit for a bon vivant.
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The apartment isn’t the only thing with a storied past. The building itself, a 13-story Art Deco gem from the 1920s, still holds onto its old-school charm and refinement, right down to the hushed lobby and three massive stone thunderbirds on its façade. Sitting on a quiet cul-de-sac with a full-time doorman, elevator attendants, and a live-in superintendent, it provides the level of discretion and service that certainly suited suited Parker’s sharp wit and Fitzgerald’s flair for the dramatic.
Click here to see more photos of the Beekman Place coop.
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