Rapper Kendrick Lamar is the latest celebrity to descend on Brooklyn, with the purchase of a sprawling duplex penthouse near the waterfront in Brooklyn Heights.
His new pied-à-terre, which offers sweeping views of the East River, is located in the Pierhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park, a 106-unit condominium built in 2015 at 90 Furman St. He paid $8.6 million, using the limited liability company Dogg Pound Buildings. The unit, which closed in mid-November, was listed for $8.99 million.
Mr. Lamarwho also owns homes in California, joins a long list of bold names who have bought property in the borough in recent years, including actors Zendaya, Amy Schumer, Matt Damonand Emily Blunt and John Krasinskitogether with the Danish architect Bjarke Ingels.
In Manhattan, Susan Weberhistorian and ex-wife of the billionaire George Soros, found a buyer for her Upper West Side penthouse, though it took 11 years and several price cuts to do so. The Majestic condo at 115 Central Park West closed for $20.5 million, well below the $50 million original price in 2012 and the $25 million he paid for it in 2006. However, the sale was between of top closings in New York City in November.
The biggest (in a recent closing): an 88th-floor penthouse in the glass skyscraper at 157 West 57th Street sold for $31.5 million to 157W57/88 LLC. The original sale price in 2015 was $47.3 million.
On the Upper East Side, apartments were sold by the businessman Ali al-Fayedan uncle of his Dodi al-Fayed, who died together Princess Diana in a car accident in Paris. Jill Rhodes, the ex-wife of the Fox News political commentator Sean Hannity; and his estate Anna Eisenhowerinterior designer and granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who he died last year.
In Greenwich Village, Jay Newmana hedge fund manager turned novelist and his wife; Dr. Elissa Kramerretired radiologist, sold their stone.
Mr. Lamar’s Brooklyn duplexwhich closed at $8.6 million, spans 3,140 square feet and includes four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, an open kitchen and dining room, and a living room with 18-foot-high ceilings.
There are floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home that offer stunning views of Brooklyn Bridge Park and the bridge, Lower Manhattan, and the East River. But that’s not even the best part—there’s nearly 2,000 square feet of outdoor space that features a terrace off a second-level living room and a landscaped rooftop terrace fit for serious parties.
Mr. Lamar, whose full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, has collected numerous awards during his career as a rapper, singer and songwriter, including several Grammys and a rare Pulitzer Prize for music for his album “DAMN.” .
Central Park West penthouse sold by Ms. Weber for $20.5 million has 6,000 square feet of interior space and 900 square feet of terraces with spectacular park views.
The renovated condo includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and two powder rooms, along with a paneled library, media room, formal dining room with wet bar, and an oversized living room with fireplace. There is also a laundry room near the staff area.
The master bedroom suite occupies most of the south wing and features a sitting area, two oversized walk-in closets, an office, and a 30-by-6-foot private veranda. Two other bedrooms, along with the living room and dining room, also open onto a terrace.
Ms. Weber is the founder and director of the Bard Graduate Center, a research institute for studies in the decorative arts, design history, and culture. She bought the penthouse at Central Park West and West 72nd Street a year after divorcing Mr. Soros, an investor and philanthropist. The two were married for 22 years.
The new owner used the LRH Trust in the transaction.
Mr. al-Fayed sold his roving partnership at the Pierre Hotel, at 795 Fifth Avenue and East 61st Street, for $9.8 million, below its most recent asking price of nearly $10.3 million in February.
Comprised of two side-by-side apartments that were combined, the fully renovated home features three large bedrooms – two of them suites – three full marble bathrooms, an updated kitchen with high-tech appliances and a living room with a decorative fireplace.
The master suite, in its own wing, has a walk-in closet the size of a master bedroom and a very large bathroom. At the opposite end is the guest suite, also en-suite, as well as a separate sitting room that could easily be converted into a further bedroom or nursery. There are 10-foot ceilings throughout the unit and views of nearby Central Park.
The buyer was listed as CPV 5a St. International Investments Limited.
Mr. al-Fayed, who has a home in Greenwich, Conn., owns the British clothing company Turnbull & Asser. His brother was the billionaire businessman and former chairman of Harrods, Mohamed al-Fayed, father of Dodi al-Fayed.
Mrs. Rhodes is nearby, a writer and journalist who had been married to Mr. Hannity for 26 years, made a quick profit from the sale of her apartment at 188 East 64th Street, on Third Avenue. He had closed on the unit in January, paying $2.6 million, and sold it for $2.9 million.
The buyers were Edward Allen III, an investment advisor and his wife, Chinhui Juhnprofessor of economics.
The nearly 1,500-square-foot apartment has two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. It features a wrap-around balcony off the living room, kitchen and a spacious master bedroom suite, which has a private marble bathroom and walk-in closet.
Mrs. Eisenhower’s estate fetched $5.6 million for her partnership at 775 Park Avenue, designed by Rosario Candela, between East 72nd and 73rd Streets.
Mrs. Eisenhower bought the condo for $3 million in 2001 at an estate sale. It needed a lot of work at the time, but it also had some good bones, something a professional interior designer like Ms. Eisenhower would happily work with. This included well-proportioned rooms, 10-foot ceilings, 18 windows and two wood-burning fireplaces.
The apartment also has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms, as well as a spacious entry gallery, a formal dining room and a large kitchen with breakfast room. And if that wasn’t enough space, a separate storage unit was thrown into the deal.
John P. Gourarypartner in a law firm and his wife, Jennifer Gurryphilanthropist, were the buyers.
The Village Brownstone, at 24 West 10th Street, between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, was sold by Mr. Newman and Dr. Kramer for $18.5 million, after more than two years on the market and an original price of $29.5 million. The couple bought the home in 1999 for about $2.7 million.
The restored structure—six stories and about 22 feet wide—was built in 1856 and designed by James Renwick Jr., the architect of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It features approximately 9,000 square feet of meticulously renovated space that includes seven bedrooms, six full bathrooms, three powder rooms, an eat-in kitchen, two kitchenettes, and a top-floor recreation/bonus room that features a skylight. (And, yes, there is an elevator, along with a grand central staircase.)
The master bedroom suite occupies most of the third floor and features a large bathroom, ample closet space, and a sitting area anchored by a wood-burning fireplace with an original marble fireplace, one of six in the home.
Outside space is equally plentiful and includes a balcony from the formal living room on the living room floor and a landscaped rear garden and roof terrace.
Mr. Newman had a long career in finance, which included work as a hedge fund portfolio manager, before focusing on writing. Last year, he published his debut novel “Undermoney,” about money and world politics, and has more stories in the works.