{"id":928028,"date":"2026-07-11T14:57:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/928028\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T14:57:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:57:06","slug":"airbnb-buys-high-profile-park-avenue-building-for-81-5-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/928028\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbnb buys high-profile Park Avenue building for $81.5 million"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the latest twist for what has become one of New York City\u2019s more high-profile buildings, Airbnb<\/a> has bought 201 Park Avenue South for $81.5 million to expand its Big Apple and East Coast presence.<\/p>\n

Sources confirmed the deal to buy the six-story building from RFR closed on July 8, beginning a new chapter for a more than 42,500-square-foot Beaux-Arts landmark building with a long, vivid history.<\/p>\n

This is the first building that San Francisco-based Airbnb has bought in New York City, although it already has operations here.\n<\/p>\n

The structure, once listed as high as $135 million and more recently for $120 million, was marketed extensively, among other things, as a chance for a large corporation to have a headquarters or hub.<\/p>\n

The contract price works out to about $2,000 per square foot, according to The Real Deal<\/a>, which called that \u201ca big premium\u201d compared to Olmstead Properties\u2019 recent purchase of 373 and 381 Park Avenue South for $104 million or about $300 per square foot.<\/p>\n

SERHANT (Ryan Serhant and Bernadette Brennan) and Avison Young (James Nelson and Alexandra Marolda) were the listing brokers.\n<\/p>\n

The deal boosts Airbnb\u2019s New York City presence as the company still faces highly restrictive New York City regulations, making it difficult to do short-term rentals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NYC is \u201cpart of our story\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York City has been part of our story since the earliest days of Airbnb,\u201d Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said. \u201cThis building reflects our long-term commitment to the city and will be home to one of our largest employee hubs outside of San Francisco. We\u2019re excited to keep investing in the city and the people who make it extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

RFR, which in 2014 reached a deal to acquire the building<\/a>, was founded by Aby Rosen and Michael Fuchs in the early 1990s, and today employs more than 180 with over 100 properties including office, residential, hotel and retail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"four(L-R) Alexandra Marolda and James Nelson of Avison Young and SERHANT\u2019s Ryan Serhant and Bernadette Brennan were the listing brokers.Photo courtesy SERHANT<\/p>\n

RFR US \u2013 led by Aby Rosen, Gaby Rosen, and Charlie Rosen \u2013 oversees operations across key U.S. markets such as New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were heavily marketing the building for the last year,\u201d said Bernadette Brennan, executive director of SERHANT Commercial. \u201cThey wanted to make sure whoever was going in would continue the legacy of the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

SERHANT, she said, on its Netflix series \u201cOwning Manhattan\u201d spent \u201ca whole season going back and forth talking about that building,\u201d filming scenes and shooting there, as well as marketing it to 13 million users on its various platforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe marketed it heavily, starting with the launch on Netflix for season two,\u201d Brennan said of \u201cOwning Manhattan.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

They also marketed it through Realtor conferences and events, involving performers and sponsors as well as more private efforts. \u201cWe activated the building,\u201d Brennan added. \u201cWe did an extensive marketing campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryan Serhant in a Jan. 28, 2026 Instagram video described it as a \u201cBeaux Arts building delivered vacant for the first time in a very long time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Designed by Robert W. Gibson and Edward J. Neville Stent, it was commissioned by donors including Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. Pierpont Morgan and built in 1894 as the Church Missions House,<\/p>\n

The building served as the Episcopal Church\u2019s Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society for many years,\u00a0 designated as a New York City landmark in 1979 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.<\/p>\n

RFR reached a deal to buy the building for around $50 million in 2014. Fotografiska New York, part of Swedish photography museum Fotografiska, leased the building from 2019, before leaving in 2024.<\/p>\n

Located at East 22nd Street in the Gramercy Park neighborhood, it includes two full kitchens, two passenger elevators, one freight elevator, and one serving the 2nd floor restaurant space that once housed Stephen Starr\u2019s Ver\u014dnika restaurant.<\/p>\n

The landmarked chapel features 25-plus foot vaulted Gothic ceilings and stained glass windows.\n<\/p>\n

Starring in \u201cInventing Anna\u201d<\/p>\n

The building itself was one of the stars of a Netflix mini-series titled \u201cInventing Anna,\u201d where Anna Sorokin, pretending to be German heiress Anna Delvey, used forged financial documents to try to buy it.<\/p>\n

The Netflix series attracted attention to the building, boosting its profile, potentially increasing awareness.\n<\/p>\n

Airbnb, a global giant employing around 8,200, had an $84.84 billion market capitalization as of July 8, with over $12.65 billion in revenue and $2.52 billion in earnings in fiscal 2025.<\/p>\n

The company for the first quarter of 2026 grew revenue 18% year-over-year to $2.7 billion as nights booked on its app grew 22% year-over-year, accounting for 63% of total nights booked, up from 58% a year ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York City has a restrictive policy for short-term home stays, which Airbnb has been seeking to loosen, as it makes some headway with hotel listings.\n<\/p>\n

Airbnb Chief Financial Officer Ellie Mertz in a first quarter earnings call said they are \u201cscaling the number of great, high-quality boutique and independent hotels\u201d on their platform, making it \u201cmuch easier for consumers to find hotels if that\u2019s what they\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows us to satisfy demand in markets where, for regulatory or other reasons, we don\u2019t have sufficient supply,\u201d she said, without mentioning New York City.<\/p>\n

Chesky in the call said \u201cif you were to search right now in New York City, it (hotel and home listings) is co-mingled,\u201d adding in the long run people who only want hotels should be able to see only hotels and those only seeking homes should only see homes.<\/p>\n

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