By Gus Saltonstall
Martha Stewart, the famous TV personality and businesswoman, is becoming an Upper West Side resident, as reported by Crain’s New York on Monday.
Stewart recently purchased a two-floor apartment within The Belnord, which occupies a full block between Broadway and Amsterdam on 86th and 87th streets, and is also used as the exterior of the fictional Arconia co-op building in the Hulu series “Only Murders in the Building.”
The former cooking-show host, along with her daughter, paid $12.3 million for the 4,600 square feet, six-bedroom apartment, reported Crain’s New York. The original asking price on the unit was closer to $18 million.
Stewart is also coming from downtown to uptown, as she sold her West Village home in 2023. She positioned herself well financially in the last decade, selling her company Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2015 for roughly $350 million.
Stewart won’t be the first public figure to live in The Belnord, as the building has also served as home to Matt Damon, Lee Strasberg, and Walter Matthau.
You can find out more about the history of The Belnord on Landmark West’s website — HERE.
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Fingers crossed for a dinner invitation…
“…the building has also served as home to Matt Damon, Lee Strasberg, and Walter Matthau.” Mustn’t forget the brilliant writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, who lived at the Belnord for many years, and often ate at the Famous Dairy Restaurant on 72nd St. (The Rag covered Famous several years ago in its Thursday Throwback column. https://www.westsiderag.com/2017/11/09/throwback-thursday-famous-dairy-restaurant )
I knew she lived in the neighborhood. She was shopping at Zabar’s last Thursday. We exchange a few words at the meat counter and had a little tasting’s of several Italian prosciutto.
She mingled with several of the customers describing her pick of the Italian prosciutto.
Everyone was quite delighted with her description.
And I thing Isaac Bashevis Singer also lived there……….
all those wonderful stories in The New Yorker…..
long ago…..
There goes the neighborhood!!! Cyndi Lauper also lives in this building.
Apthorp. Different building.
A little too big for me, alas.
But why would she buy at The Belnord?
I would think she’s more of a Central Park West kind of person like living at the legendary Beresford at West 81 Street/CPW the preeminent prewar landmark building (if you’re anywho of her stature).
Beresford is a coop, what is the board policy regarding criminal convictions?
A President has applied and withdrew an application in a coop (mostly upper east side),
Some coops do not guaranteed entry and have come up with all sorts of reasons.
My point is maybe her choice was limited.
The original piece notes that she purchased with her daughter,, so that might provide ‘the explanation. Indeed, while not too shabby for us mere mortals, the area and the building don’t seem quite up to Martha standards !
Well, if Alderson Federal Correctional Facility WV was suitable…I’m sure the Belnord UWS is up to the standards.
Clearly she doesn’t want to deal with invasive coop boards. The Belnord is a rare prewar condo.
Welcome to the UWS Martha!