A-Line: Celebrity StyleNicole Kidman sells NYC apartment for $16 million, moves on to better views
When you're a rich and famous movie star like Nicole Kidman, nothing but the best will do, and that includes a jaw-dropping view. The 45-year-old actress has unloaded her 3,785-square-foot apartment at 176 Perry Street, a fabled building that's made headlines for its over-the-top luxury, celebrity residents, and plenty of problems, including residents' outrage when a nearby tower was erected that partially blocked the Perry Street complex's touted views of the Hudson River.
According to the real estate blog, The Real Deal, Kidman sold the 12th-floor unit in the West Village building in early July for a cool $16 million after purchasing it in 2003 for just $8 million, shortly after units in the two-tower waterfront complex went up for sale. Rumors had been swirling that Kidman was especially frustrated with the construction of the view-blocking neighboring building on nearby Charles Street, and she previously had the apartment up for lease for the breathtaking price of $45,000 a month.
[Related: Nicole Kidman in 'The Paperboy']
Kidman hasn't been the only celebrity resident of the complex, designed by acclaimed architect Richard Meier. Martha Stewart, Calvin Klein, and chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vorgenshtein also purchased units there, while Hugh Jackman temporarily lived in one of the towers as a renter.
[Related: What Nicole Kidman has said about Tom Cruise's marriage]
In addition to the disappointing view, the Perry Street structures faced plenty problems off the bat. According to an in-depth Vanity Fair article published in 2004, the towers initially had heating and leak issues and multiple units had to get floors and balconies replaced, including the one owned by Martha Stewart, whose balconies overflowed and flooded the entire north tower. Back in 2002, according to the article, someone fired shots at the building multiple times in the middle of the night over the course of a few months. Though no interior glass was penetrated, the incidents prompted the installation of surveillance cameras. And then there was a dilemma most of us will never have to deal with: When you live in an apartment where most of the walls are made of glass, where do you hang your expensive art so that it isn't damaged by the sun? Ah, the problems of the rich.
To be sure, the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath apartment was and is luxurious (why else would someone pay more than $16 million for it?), but Kidman and her husband Keith Urban were apparently ready to move on. Last year, the couple purchased a $10 million apartment at 200 Eleventh Street in Chelsea. The equally over-the-top building offers residents a "sky garage," meaning their cars are delivered to their doors via elevator and then the resident and his or her car are quickly whisked down to ground level. The building also touts something Kidman surely found enticing: "protected views" of the Hudson.
More Celebrity Features on Yahoo!:
