RAISE THE ROOF!
THIS Manhattan penthouse comes with an incomparable perk — and now the entire package has found a new owner. At 72 E. First St., a penthouse crowned by a wonderful rooftop cottage has entered contract for close to $10 million, sources tell Gimme Shelter. The deal comes just two weeks after the unusual offering listed for sale, asking $9.75 million. The sources add that the forthcoming owners are a local family. The shingled cottage — with glass brick, natural light and a writing desk — has long been an anomaly, looking like a structure that seems more at home in coastal Massachusetts. It was created by the late sculptor Henry Merwin Shrady, who bought the building when it was vacant and derelict in 1980. He renovated the home and added the rooftop retreat, which became the stuff of local legend. In 2017, the property hit the market for the first time — at that point asking $3.5 million. It sold the same year above ask, for $3.75 million following a bidding war. Nick Gavin, of Compass, was the broker back then. He currently shares the listing with Compass colleague Allie Fraza. Both brokers declined to comment on this deal. The charming cottage, despite its city location, provides escape. It boasts a banquette with bay windows, and overlooks a landscaped and irrigated terrace — complete with shrubs, an apple tree, plus seating and lounging areas. Even the listing images make jaws drop, particularly an aerial that shows a private paradise that’s completely hidden from street view. For its part, the main residence is nothing to sniff at. The dazzling downtown offering opens to the four-bedroom penthouse, which is decked out like an English country retreat. There’s an open farmhouse chef ’s kitchen, three fireplaces, a double-height living room and stylish parquet tiles salvaged from a theater in London. A staircase connects the lower living room with an upper-level library featuring built-in shelving and oak cabinets. The upper floor includes three bedrooms, while the main bedroom corner suite is downstairs.