Amazon abruptly ditched New York as the location of one of its corporate campuses in February, but that didn’t stop Jeff Bezos from making a massive investment in Manhattan real estate. The CEO of the world’s largest retailer is buying three condominiums near Madison Square Park for a combined price of about $80 million.
Instead of going for one of the new, glitzy condominium skyscrapers in the neighborhood, Bezos went old-school – what Manhattanites call “pre-war.” That term, applied to apartment buildings constructed before World War II, connotes generous layouts, thick walls, high ceilings, and an abundance of decorative plaster.
In Bezos’ case, he went pre-pre-war: The newly renovated condominium building at 212 Fifth Avenue was constructed in 1912, before the First World War, in a style that combines neo-Gothic and Romanesque. It was once considered a New York skyscraper, but now is dwarfed by some of its nearby structures. StreetEasy puts its height at 24 stories.
The apartments Bezos is purchasing include a 10,000-square-foot triplex penthouse with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and nearly 6,000 square feet of outdoor space that overlooks the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, and the new World Trade Center. Bezos also bought two other condos directly beneath the penthouse, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“If turned into a single-family home the three units would total more than 17,000 square feet, with 12 bedrooms,” the Journal story said.
CNBC posted a video with a tour of the penthouse that was filmed while the property was still on the market. You can see it here:
