This Manhattan neighborhood might be losing its bohemian bona fides — one eight-figure sale at a time.
The Upper West Side has racked up two sky-high sales in recent weeks, one of which broke a neighborhood record, all thanks to a massive luxury development.
They reflect a prominent shift in the uptown enclave. Once the domain rent-controlled apartment blocks filled with writers and artists, the historic neighborhood is attracting an ever-wealthier set.
Extell Development Company changed the Upper West Side’s skyline when it constructed 50 W. 66th Street. If the name Extell sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the developer behind Central Park Tower and One57 on Billionaires’ Row.
50 W. 66th St. Tamara Beckwith
An interior of a luxury condo in the 70-story development. Extell Development
On Monday, according to records filed with the city Department of Finance, a 50 W. 66th St. unit traded hands for a cool $44.93 million.
The 42nd-floor sponsor unit spans 7,000 square feet, the Real Deal reported, with five bedrooms and seven baths. Lisa K. Lippman of Brown Harris Stevens represented the buyer, whose identity is shielded behind Pipedream 66 LLC.
That deal came on the heels of a 47th floor apartment selling in late October for a whopping $46.77 million, according to city records, which marked the Upper West Side’s priciest-ever home sale.
Despite the 127-unit building lacking a dedicated website or much advertising — the tower is enjoying a popular streak. A source familiar with the building to The Post that it’s more than 75% sold.
Views like those in this condo rendering helped fetch 50 W. 66th Street eight-figure sales. Extell Development
A bathroom rendering. Extell Development
Corcoran agent Kirsten Jordan, an Upper West Side local, told The Post that New Yorkers with generational wealth are buying in to the area. Wealthy buyers are recognizing the area for its proximity to two of Manhattan’s best parks and easy access to the West Side Highway.
“There’s a lot of people moving uptown from downtown who need space and are willing to be on the West Side,” Jordan said, noting the area offers better value per square foot and more available product than the East Side of Central Park.
An influx in recent development in recent years coincided with an influx in new, attractive retail offerings as far up at the West 80s, Jordan said, with boutique shops and gluten-free bagel spots catering to wealthy newcomers.
“It has really gone through a transformation over the last five years,” Jordan said.
Demand — and prices — are on the rise on the Upper West Side. Nick Starichenko – stock.adobe.com
As the tallest building in the neighborhood, 50 W. 66th Street was making headlines long before any record-setting sales.
Lawsuits bogged down construction, which began in 2019, and locals fumed over fears that the 775-foot tower could cast a massive shadow over Central Park.
Opinionated locals previously told The Post of their general distaste for such glassy facades, seemingly at odds with their enclave’s unpretentious reputation. Others expressed concerns that luxury developments spell trouble for local housing prices.
Listing prices at the building currently range from $6 million to $85 million, according to Corcoran’s website.
The UWS’s proximity to Riverside Park and Central Park draws buyers from downtown. Helayne Seidman
The project marked Norwegian architectural firm Snohetta’s first residential tower in the US. The firm is behind the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and the Beijing City Library.
Plans for a second, taller tower from Extell Development Company are already underway on the former site of ABC Studios. Slated for 77 W. 66th St., the luxury turbotower is planned to top out at 1,200 feet.