Jeremy Stein of Sotheby\u2019s International Realty<\/a> called it the type of property that defies standard comparison.<\/p>\nThe main house, built in the 1860s, spans roughly 4,100 square feet and retains its industrial bones: exposed brick, heavy timber beams and oversized windows that open directly toward the narrow street.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over more than two decades, they transformed the roughly 4,100-square-foot, three-bedroom home\u2014once surrounded by boarded-up storefronts\u2014into a warm, idiosyncratic retreat with chestnut beams, exposed brick and repurposed historic details, including a former freight-elevator shaft turned into a tiny \u201cgreen room.\u201d Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
The couple raised their children on the quiet, almost hidden block, which became a neighborhood backdrop for street hockey games, opera practice, and Halloween candy hand-outs. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
A woodburning fireplace anchors the living level. Upstairs, the couple reconfigured the original layout to create a large primary suite overlooking the street\u2019s famed skybridge.<\/p>\n
They had been living nearby prior to Sept. 11 and left the neighborhood temporarily afterward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kellogg, who had first noticed the building years earlier while studying architecture at Columbia University, returned when the property surfaced for sale. The street then was largely dormant, with boarded storefronts and layers of graffiti, but the scale and proportions of the townhouse convinced them to take on the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seemed like this little magical and kind of mysterious place,\u201d Burger told the Journal. \u201cIt felt full of excitement and possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
A simple staircase connects the levels. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
Charming details abound. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
Cozy spaces dot through the offering. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
Over the years, the couple made numerous alterations that reflect both their professions and family life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The house originally contained a freight elevator; Kellogg converted the shaft into a compact room for video calls. Metal rails from the old lift became part of a built-in bookcase.<\/p>\n
As their children grew, the lower level transitioned from an indoor play zone to a guest suite and den. Small storage vaults beneath the alley remain intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just not cookie cutter,\u201d Kellogg told the Journal, \u201cso we were able to have a life here that was very special.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2008, the pair purchased the commercial unit directly across the street and adapted it into a workspace layered with film posters and architectural renderings.<\/p>\n
The two buildings sit only a few steps apart, joined visually by the feel of the secluded alleyway.<\/p>\n
The street itself has functioned almost like an extension of their home. Kellogg recalls a local juggler and his daughter practicing there, undisturbed by wind. An opera singer would stand in the alley to test the acoustics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A roof hangout looks out to the footbridge. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
An aerial of the outdoor space. Legendary\/ Darren Estrada\/ Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
Staple Street is one of the city\u2019s most photographed alleys. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
On Halloween, the couple opened their windows and passed candy to streams of neighborhood children. At times, when traffic was minimal, they placed cones at each end of the block so their children could play informal hockey games.<\/p>\n
More recently, their work has increasingly taken them elsewhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Burger spent part of last year in London, directing; Kellogg\u2019s firm has completed projects around the world, including a school in India designed to endure desert heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple also maintains a residence in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and anticipates spending more time outside the city.<\/p>\n
Cozy spaces dot through the offering. Yale Wagner\/Sotheby’s International Realty<\/p>\n
Burger has also considered purchasing a boat to use as a floating residence on the Hudson River while in town, an idea he described as one of his \u201ccrazier ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stein acknowledged the pricing will require a buyer who responds as much to atmosphere as to attributes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPricing is both art and science. But it\u2019s a lot more art on this one,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cYou try to think, \u2018What are the other unicorns that have sold in New York and what have they sold for?\u2019 Given that there\u2019s nothing like it, what do you think someone might pay for it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as they let go of Staple Street, Kellogg said they expect to keep some sort of foothold in Manhattan, though likely something smaller and simpler. But the years spent on the quiet alley will remain singular.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For more than two decades, filmmaker Neil Burger and architect Diana Kellogg have lived on one of New…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":363022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[5418,5249,403,4329,57198,158,43558,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-363021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-luxury-real-estate","9":"tag-manhattan","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-real-estate","12":"tag-surreal-estate","13":"tag-technology","14":"tag-tribeca","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115510487670802530","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}