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In the News: Is This Why Taylor Swift Bought the Townhouse Next Door?
••• “33 Never-Before-Seen Helmut Newton Images Are on Display in Tribeca,” says Surface. (One of my favorites is from a Vogue shoot featuring Nadja Auermann.) Whether you’re into Newton’s schtick or not, it’s a good reason—beyond being interested in real estate—to check out the sales office for 49 Chambers, where the exhibit is up through Sunday. The Beaux-Arts building is looking fabulous.
••• “Fashion Designer Licheng Ling Turns Her Apartment [at 30 Park Place] into a Pop-Up Shop” for her loungewear line, Homeism. Bet the neighbors love that. —Architectural Digest
••• “50-52 Pine St. was the headquarters of the City’s Investigation Department in the 1940s-60s, where officials delved into dock gangsters, communists, milk prices, and the scalping of Kiss Me Kate tickets.” —Daytonian in Manhattan
••• Singer Taylor Swift’s “LLC stiffed an Elliman broker on the commission for the Tribeca townhouse she bought last year for $18 million, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday in New York Supreme Court. Though an Elliman broker showed Swift representatives the townhouse at 153 Franklin Street, another broker took the commission for the deal. Elliman is seeking roughly $1.1 million in damages.” (Perhaps more interesting, the lawsuit includes an explanation as to why Swift might have wanted the property: “153 Franklin abuts her duplex penthouse at 155 Franklin Street, which would potentially allow the singer—with an alteration to the connecting wall—to leave her penthouse through the new townhouse through an indoor garage without being spotted.”) Perhaps she got tired of walking through the front door. —Real Deal
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153 Franklin doesn’t have a garage (despite what the facade looks like on Franklin) it maybe did at one time- but the floorplans show that that street level area is a parlor/screening room now. So she’d have to get it approved to convert to a garage..and then the above mentioned access to 155? That’s a tough one (IMO)
I know she occasionally uses an entrance on Leonard St (she takes the elevator down to the basement of 155 and walks through a connecting door and up a flight of stairs)
Ha! I went over to take a fresh photo and I never even looked at the doors. But I don’t think it’s that tough of a change to convert the left bay of windows to a garage door (and demolish interior walls to make room for a car).
The construction might be possible but getting the city to approve a curb cut can be very difficult.
“Is This Why Taylor Swift Bought the House Next Door?” That implies that she got out of paying the large commission, which is untrue, and maligns here character.
Elliman’s recourse for commission can only be with the listing broker, not the buyer. has is with the broker, not Swift. Swift paid her commission, over one million dollars. It’s the brokers who are in dispute, not uncommon. Elliman should be arbitrating the dispute against the broker.x
It would be nice if you did some research.
you should follow erik’s links before you criticize his research. from the realdeal.com:
“The complaint doesn’t specifically name Swift, but includes Firefly Entertainment, 13 Management and Euro Tribeca — an LLC that she’s used on her previous real estate transactions — as defendants. The lawsuit notes that Firefly and 13 Management — both companies affiliated with Swift — acted on behalf of a “famous celebrity.””
I know this site is moderated. You don’t have to print this if you don/t want, but I do strongly suggest that you don’t publish details of famous people’s homes such as Andy does–how she gets in and out of her building. Swift has a Stalker who hangs out inside her building, on the roof, etc. Nice of Andy to help him out?
I’m sure other famous people might have similar problems. I don’t believe it’s necessary for your journalistic integrity to print information to help stalkers.
She has been photographed hundreds of times entering and leaving the building. It’s far from a secret.
I understand your point about revealing how she gets in and out…but like Erik said..this is far from secret…I live a block over and when she’s in town there are at least a dozen paparazzi in front of the building and at the back entrance.
And to be honest–Taylor did not keep a low profile when she moved into the building.
The number of newspapers and websites that have published this information is tremendous.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Where+does+Taylor+Swift+live+in+new+York
nypost, time, curbed, vogue, variety, in style, elle, ny daily news, uk telegraph, uk daily mail, nymag, business insider, observer, pinterest, glamour, etc.
Why on earth did Taylor Swift buy an apt in a “non doorman” building like 155 Franklin? She can easily buy in a doorman building that has an underground garage which would completely shield her from everyone.
It’s as though by buying this apt she WANTS the fans and paparazzi to be waiting out front!
Any other explanation just makes no sense!
When I first saw she bought at 155 Franklin this immediately came to mind.
Any opinions on this?
Umm…. Maybe she just liked the place?
Bruce,
Maybe she likes the ability to control when she is or when she is not seen. Makes perfect sense to me.
The whole doorman thing can also get irritating and she can certainly avoid all of that
http://brobible.com/entertainment/article/taylor-swift-apartment-pizza/
” […] When I picked up, I was greeted by a girl who identified herself as being from TaylorSwift.com. I don’t often get calls from TaylorSwift.com, and had forgotten about the contest, so I was quite confused. “You entered a contest to attend Taylor’s live stream?” she asked. It all came back to me. “Oh, yes! Of course.” She informed me that I’d been selected! […]
“We started heading downtown, and the bus was abuzz with adeens going nuts about how amazing Taylor was. We got to Tribeca, and when we pulled onto a certain block, the bus started screaming and freaking out. I had no idea what was going on, but I guess the other Swifties knew that this was the block Taylor lived on. If I were Taylor, I would’ve immediately found out which fans knew where she lived, and had them arrested. That [$#!t]’s creepy.
“6:30 p.m. – They ushered us into her building, which surprisingly does NOT have a doorman. My parents won’t even let my sister live in a non-doorman building in the Big Apple. I guess the fact that Taylor has a huge live-in security team of bad ass dudes means she can do without a useless old Irish guy sitting in the lobby. I’m so jealous she doesn’t have to deal with awkward doorman chatter. […]
“Taylor, if you read this and realize what an opportunity you blew, please feel free to DM me on Twitter, and we can make arrangements for a follow-up meeting. My apartment has a doorman, so it is safer than yours. Just saying.”
WTF?
Click that link or this one:
https://tylerconroy.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/my-new-york-day-with-taylor-swift-from-almost-peeing-my-pants-to-peeing-in-her-bathroom/
Putting 2 and 2 together, maybe she just wants to move the “huge…bad ass dudes” off her couch, but keep them close by?
When Peter Jackson bought the two PHs initially he had hoped to combine them. After years of back-and-forth with the board he gave up trying and just renovated them as the existing divided units. He only stayed in the apartments a few times after the renovations.
I think for Taylor it was advantageous because she could have her own apt (7000 sq feet) and the bodyguards live in the other apt next to her (close to 4000 sq feet)
TS moving into the building tremendously impacted the residents…note all the sales since she moved in (and not for huge profits for some) There’s one elevator and if she’s coming or going the bodyguards won’t let anyone get in if they’re taking her up or down, or they’ll hold the elevator at the top floor for 30 mins waiting for her. I know this sounds like a small thing..but not fun when it’s happened to you over-and-over.
She’s been renovating for over a year and yes, stalkers/fans have gotten into the building, but it’s because with all the construction people coming and going there’s no one to monitor who’s with them or a kook…Taylor only employs an off duty NYPD officer to sit in the lobby when SHE’S there. As far as her ‘profile’ – she definitely liked the attention she received from photographers and fans. Ashley Olson lived on the 3rd floor for over a year and no one knew (her bodyguard would take her up and down in the elevator as well, but never tried to stop anyone from getting into the elevator) Ashley bailed from the rental as soon as she found out TS had bought. Taylor should just buy that PH available at Sterling Mason. That place i like fort knox with all the security, multiple entrances and garage/motor court.
“There’s one elevator and if she’s coming or going the bodyguards won’t let anyone get in if they’re taking her up or down, or they’ll hold the elevator at the top floor for 30 mins waiting for her”
They even won’t allow other residents into the elevator?
Unless this is a private elevator, that seems extremely rude. I’m surprised other residents would tolerate this.