Great NYC Apartment Buildings: Eagle Warehouse vs. Chelsea Mercantile

Eagle Warehouse vs. Chelsea Mercantile: Two celebrity splits, two Kates, two classic Chelsea condo conversions.

The Eagle Warehouse
With her divorce from filmmaker Sam Mendes behind her, lucky Kate Winslet found herself in possession of the couple’s spacious penthouse in the Eagle Warehouse at 532 West 22nd Street. The Brit actress, who is working on her latest film, Labor Day (2014), is seeking a renter for the lofty 3,300-square-foot duplex with 13-foot ceilings and a 1,700-square-foot roof terrace for a celebrity-sized $25,000 per month. The 6-story red-brick former warehouse, possessed of a certain under-the-radar classic Chelsea cool factor, offers apartments–only three lofts per floor–with High Line and Hudson River views. Converted to condominiums in 2003, the building is in a coveted location amid some of the city’s best restaurants, galleries and shopping as well as the High Line and the Hudson River Esplanade while retaining the charm of far-west Chelsea. A second unit, 4C, is also available at a slightly less stratospheric $18k per month. At 2,500 square feet, you’d still get plenty of space in a 3-bedroom loft with three exposures (CurbedNY).

The Chelsea Mercantile
As celebrity post-divorce hideaways go, few have been in the news more than Katie Holmes’s new home in the Chelsea Mercantile building at 252 7th Avenue. Built in 1906, the former fabric factory was converted to condominiums in 2000. With a grand lobby, a doorman, a gym and a public parking garage, this full-service building also offers the best of Chelsea culture, restaurants and parks, while its Seventh Avenue location also puts you near the Flatiron District with its many transportation, dining and shopping options–and there’s a Whole Foods market just downstairs. If you’d like to be neighbors with Katie and Suri, the 354-unit building has several units for sale, including #8N, a 1-bedroom, 1,001-square-foot apartment with high ceilings and custom closets, currently on the market for $1.375 million. There is also a 4,000 square foot apartment listed for $22.5 million; interest in the 12-room loft at #12X have undoubtedly been aided by building’s celebrity ex-factor. There are several apartments for rent here, as well (NYObserver).