These are the people in your neighborhood
BACK in 1919, Mrs. Henry Prince was residing at the Wales when she reported to police detectives that her jewels valued at $20,000 (roughly $328,000 in today’s lettuce) had been stolen!
Mrs. Prince had boarded a bus with the gems in her bag as she returned from some Riverside Drive soiree and when she reached her room, she discovered that her bling was gone, the New York Tribune reported.
It was a hairpuller for detectives who couldn’t find a trace of Mrs. Prince’s sparklers. The depressed dicks called on the dame to report the bad news only to discover a nonplussed Mrs. Prince at the door. “Jewelry? Oh, that jewelry?” Why were they still looking for it? It wasn’t missing. It was right where she left it, under her pillow. She had found them days ago.
More than 100 years later, Carnegie Hill is still home to the rich and eccentric. Bordered by 86th Street to the south, 96th Street to the north, Central Park to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east, the nabe is named for Andrew Carnegie (inset), who built his sprawling mansion at Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street at the turn of the 20th century. Since then, celebrities and titans of industry have called the neighborhood home, including David Rockefeller, Bette Midler, Gwyneth Paltrow and Woody Allen.
The area is also a tourist hub thanks to the Neue Galerie, the Guggenheim, the Cooper Hewitt Museum (Carnegie’s former home) and the Jewish Museum. Lined with chic restaurants and outdoor cafes like Island, Pascalou, Sfoglia and Vicolina, as well as longtime retailers, like the Corner Bookstore, BHS broker Leslie Singer says Carnegie Hill “feels like Paris in the summertime.”
And for those interested in buying into uptown’s la belle vie — known for landmarked limestone mansions and pre-war apartment buildings by architects like Rosario Candela and J. E. R. Carpenter — know that if you have to ask what it costs, you can’t afford it.
In 2021, apartments that sold in Carnegie Hill were 40% more expensive and 27% larger when compared to the Upper East Side as a whole, according to data from Corcoran Group Market Research.
There are currently only 16 new development sponsor units in Carnegie Hill, found in just three buildings — the Wales, 180 E. 88th St. and 1228 Madison Ave. — with an average asking price of $8.2 million, according to data from Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing. (The Bellemont at 1165 Madison Ave. and a redevelopment at 1143 Fifth Ave. are in pre-development and have not yet launched sales.) This represents 29% of all actively marketed new inventory on the Upper East Side where a total of 56 units are available with an average listing price of $7.35 million.
“With few development sites available and minimal product in the pipeline, these coveted new buildings are able to meet buyer demands and exceed price points,” said Laura Tomana, VP of research and market data at Brown Harris.
“Carnegie Hill presents an opportunity to live along Park or Madison avenues a bit more north than buyers previously sought, but is drawing those who want greater space, service and amenities who are willing to spend.”