Exclusive | 25 Columbus Circle: Living Above It All
$35 Million Condo in the Time Warner Center
A vista-grabbing nine-room condominium near the top of 25 Columbus Circle, the luxury residential tower conveniently perched above the shopping and dining nirvana of the Time Warner Center, is poised to enter the market at $35 million. The monthly carrying costs for the 3,923-square-foot unit, No. 71A, are $13,801.
The residence, in the south tower of the Time Warner Center, received an elegant renovation in 2006-2007 with the installation of imported Parisian fixtures and finishes and the removal of several walls to open up the space and lend the aura of a downtown loft. The ceilings are 10 feet high, as are the windows that encase the entire apartment (each with a double set of automated shades); floors are herringbone oak with an ebony border. Museum-quality lighting, hidden behind moldings, was installed throughout. Even the built-in bookcases of cerused white oak in the dining room are illuminated from within.
The condo, designed by Barbara Lane, is configured as a three-bedroom three-bath aerie with dominant views west toward the Hudson River, north toward Central Park’s pond and reservoir, and east toward Fifth Avenue and the cityscape. Because of its unusual angles — just five units are in the “A line” — the apartment also provides vistas of the Statue of Liberty and, if the light is right, a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. The west side of the unit has a 60-foot expanse of windows facing the river.
Beyond the vestibule, there is a 27-by-12-foot gallery with a back wall of hidden closets — one of them designated for umbrellas — and a front wall upholstered in mohair with silk cording in a diamond pattern. The powder room has a beige onyx floor and vanity, raw-silk walls and a pewter sink. A former laundry area was transformed into a butler’s pantry/wet bar with stainless counters, linen-paneled cupboards and custom-carved lockable wooden drawers for silverware and table linens.
To the west of the gallery, the 23-by-14 foot formal dining room overlooks the Hudson River and is separated from the library by a floating wall that serves as a display for large art. The dining room connects to an 11-by-19-foot breakfast room, also with full-on Hudson views, that is adjacent to the 16-by-9-foot Bulthaup kitchen. There is a service entrance off the kitchen, and a laundry nook and additional half bath in a space formerly devoted to a maid’s room.
The main entertainment area sits to the east of the gallery, a 26-by-29-foot great room with angled corners and walls of windows that capture northeast views of the park and the east side of Manhattan to the Throgs Neck Bridge.
The master suite is sequestered at the back of the apartment: A hallway leads to a sitting room/study with its walls upholstered in raw silk, and the connecting 11-by-7-foot dressing room continues the theme of parchment silk walls, this time covered in glass, that hide a wall of custom closets. There are a large safe and a built-in vanity and accessory drawers just outside the main master bath, which is clad in crema marble with a black border. It has a glass-and-marble shower and, set in a corner with two windows and a pillar of Venetian plaster, a soaking tub with a river view. The eastern portion of the master suite has a second full bath, a walk-in closet and a bedroom with north-facing windows and a movable wall that, when opened, disappears into a niche in the living room and provides the bedroom with open eastern views through the great room.
The seller is Roy L. Furman, the chairman of the board of Jefferies Capital Partners, a vice chairman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and a chairman emeritus of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Furman is also a prolific theatrical producer, with several Tony-winning shows to his credit. Wowed by the views, Mr. Furman paid $9.7 million for the unit in 2005 after being assured by its developer (and one of his upstairs neighbors), Stephen Ross, that the windows could withstand 200-per-mile-hour winds. Mr. Furman confirmed that he spent part of Hurricane Sandy sitting at his breakfast table playing gin rummy, watching the winds strafe the Hudson.
“The building didn’t even quiver,” he said. “It’s a remarkable building with wonderful amenities. The vision behind the renovation here was to make the space more loftlike and build a residence that was truly enjoyable to live in and appreciate rather than having it just be a showplace.”
The listing brokers are Maria Pashby and Robby Browne of the Corcoran Group.
Copyright © 2014 The New York Times Company. Reprinted with Permission. Emon Hasson/The New York Times.
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