A stunning New York penthouse in one of the city’s most historic residential buildings, previously a silk factory before it was repurposed to residences and then owned by a bevy of celebrity A-Listers, has just hit the market at $6.995 million. Built in the Italian Renaissance style in 1908 and converted to apartments in the 1980s, the 12-story Silk Building is located in Manhattan’s Noho neighborhood, taking up an entire city block between Broadway and Lafayette streets.
For decades, the style-conscious have looked to Cher for her home choices in glamorous locations from New York City to California and Hawaii, her artistic vision and related upscale decorating talent rivals her singing and showmanship. Cher was the Silk Building penthouse-apartment’s first owner when she purchased it after the building’s transition to residences, and lived there until 1990 when she sold it to Russell Simmons for $1.6 million. Britney Spears later bought the apartment – it was where she wrote the Grammy-winning song “Toxic” – and lived there for four years. Britney combined two units to make up the current apartment with 3,785 square feet and four bedrooms. Keith Richards also once lived in the building where he had two floors and a recording studio.
Some of the penthouse’s best features are the tall ceilings, 400-square-foot outdoor terrace, fully operational wood fireplaces, and the wet bar in the primary suite. A fifth bedroom could be added by repurposing the rooftop den with bath that opens to the large terrace with views over Greenwich Village and the Empire State Building. The kitchen is styled up-to-the-minute and bathrooms are upgraded with book-matched marble.
The Silk Building is located in a neighborhood developed by John Jacob Astor many decades ago that housed a large number of garment-related businesses and factories. In 1983, the Silk Building’s first-floor retail space was leased by Tower Records, which attracted local music fans, tourists and entertainers. The building was recently the site of a Major League Baseball store and currently a Blink Fitness center.
