I toured a $24.5 million penthouse in New York's iconic 'Jenga Building' and found the interior had
- New York City's 56 Leonard — or the "Jenga Building" — has a well-earned nickname and a very distinctive look: It looks like a set of haphazardly stacked blocks, towering over downtown Manhattan.
- The building is located in Tribeca, the most expensive ZIP code in New York City.
- The last sponsor-owned unit for sale in the building is a $24.5 million penthouse that boasts a 360-degree view of the city.
- Business Insider was able to get into the apartment for an exclusive tour.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
New York City's 56 Leonard — the so-called Jenga Building — is hard to miss: Its stacked levels jut out unevenly from its sides, giving it a distinctly different silhouette from your standard, smooth-sided high-rise.
The 60-floor residential tower is located in lower Manhattan. It rises from the cobblestone streets of Tribeca — the most expensive ZIP code in New York City.
In November, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group's senior sales director Elizabeth Unger walked me through the tower and took me up to the 57th floor to view the building's last sponsor-owned unit for sale, a $24.5 million penthouse. A sponsor-owned unit is one that is sold, for the first time, to an individual buyer directly by the building's developer.
The full-floor penthouse I saw, like the rest of the building, boasts soft curves and warm colors — a contrast to the sharply designed exterior.
From a 360-degree view of New York City to a 75-foot swimming pool, keep reading to see what it's like inside 56 Leonard.
In November, I toured one of the most recognizable residential towers in New York City's downtown skyline — 56 Leonard. The building is located in Tribeca.
Tribeca is a ritzy neighborhood in lower Manhattan. It's home to the most expensive ZIP code in New York City — the median sale price is $3.9 million.
Source: PropertyShark
This is 56 Leonard. It was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & De Meuron and completed in 2017.
Source: 56 Leonard
The tower is roughly half a mile from Business Insider's headquarters, so I walked there. In a matter of minutes, 56 Leonard was directly in my line of view, and I immediately understood why it's dubbed the "Jenga Building."
Source: CNBC
The building's cantilevered balconies look as if they were stacked on top of one another.
Source: 56 Leonard
When I arrived at the tower, I was surprised to see that the entrance blended in perfectly with the surrounding area. Even though the building's facade was visible for most of my walk, when I turned onto its block, I almost walked past the front doors.
I was also surprised by the soft curves in the building's spacious, dimly lit lobby — a total contrast to the sharply designed exterior. It was dark and unlike pretty much any lobby I have ever been in.
Once inside, I met up with Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group's senior sales director Elizabeth Unger to check out the $24.5 million penthouse on the 57th floor — the last sponsor-owned unit for sale. The elevator brought us to the front door.
As soon as I set foot in the apartment, I felt as if I were in a different world. Not because I was 57 stories above New York City, though that was also imposing. Instead, the apartment I stepped into was full of soft lines, natural light, and neutral tones — a far cry from its silhouette and its lobby.
The interior design of the penthouse carried none of the angularity of the exterior and certainly none of the dark, ominous tones of the lobby.
Where the lobby looked like a dark lair, the penthouse boasts 360-degree views of New York City with floor-to-ceiling windows lining the unit.
Those same themes of light, neutral colors continued to unfold across its 5,252 square feet of interior space and 1,763 square feet of exterior space. Below is the small living area that sits between the den and the great room.
Adjacent to the den is a door that leads to one of the penthouse's two terraces (the second terrace is located on the other end of the unit).
Outside on the terrace, the view of the city stretches for miles.
Even the views inside are jaw-dropping. While standing in the dining room, I had a perfect view of the Freedom Tower.
The dining room opens right up into the kitchen, which has a glossy black island with a stovetop and three barstools.
When I asked Unger which type of buyers 56 Leonard attracted, she said the building attracted local New Yorkers, particularly those with downtown roots. "We light up at night," she said.
The 60-floor tower boasts 10 penthouses that take up the top nine floors. Each unit is uniquely designed.
Source: 56 Leonard
This unit has four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms. Below is the master bedroom.
Along with two terraces, the master bedroom also has a private balcony.
Here's the view from the private balcony.
Back inside, the master bedroom seamlessly flows into the master bathroom ...
... which boasts a freestanding tub and breathtaking views.
After a tour of the penthouse, I checked out the amenities, which are located on the building's ninth and 10th floors.
Along with a fitness center, the 10th floor also includes a 75-foot swimming pool, a steam room, and a sauna.
Source: 56 Leonard
As I made my way to the ninth floor, I was led down a large spiral concrete staircase that, according to Unger, was filled in one day to prevent seams.
Here's a look at the staircase from the ninth floor.
The ninth floor includes a movie theater with a terrace and a children's playroom.
Source: 56 Leonard
There's also a library lounge with an adjacent private dining room and a catering kitchen.
Source: 56 Leonard
Currently, active listings in the building range from $4.85 million to $24.5 million.
- Source: StreetEasy
- To see more exclusive photos of NYC luxury real estate, check out:
- I got a tour of a $14 million penthouse in NYC's new $25 billion Hudson Yards neighborhood and found that it was perfectly designed to show off its best asset
- The Woolworth Building and its iconic green roof have been a defining part of the NYC skyline for 106 years. Take a look inside its most expensive listing, a $30 million condo.
- View from the top: Inside the Billionaire's Row skyscraper that just became the tallest residential building in the world at 1,550 feet
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