240 Centre Street 2 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms $6,000,000
Some homes are defined by their furnishings. This one is defined by its light. Sixteen-foot ceilings and tall, stately windows draw the day deep into every room, and the duplex takes on a different character with each passing hour: pale and quiet in the morning, golden by late afternoon. It is little wonder the residence has long drawn the eye of fashion's most celebrated designers.
Arrival begins in a gracious foyer, a moment of pause before the living room unfolds. It is a room of rare proportion, as suited to an evening of entertaining as to a slow Sunday. The dining area is intimate by intention, and the kitchen is made for those who genuinely cook. Two bedrooms are set within the loft's contours to offer true privacy, and three baths are serene and restrained. A washer and dryer are discreetly tucked in. At the heart of it all rises the staircase, less a passage between floors than a work of sculpture.
The building carries a history few addresses can claim. Completed in 1909, 240 Centre Street became home to a police department Theodore Roosevelt had set out to reform as commissioner a decade earlier. For more than six decades it served as New York City Police Headquarters, its domed Beaux-Arts facade a quiet monument of lower Manhattan. In 1988 the Ehrenkranz Group & Eckstut reimagined it as residences, and it has remained among downtown's most coveted addresses ever since, counting some of the most celebrated names in fashion among its residents.
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Quick Profile
It’s fitting that the neighborhood’s name is Little Italy because It’s been getting smaller for decades. The Italian immigrants that flooded New York City and built the vibrant ethnic enclave in the 1860s and 1880s eventually left for greener pastures, assimilating into other parts of the city or suburbs. The disappearance of Little Italy is a sad story as far as neighborhoods go, but it’s one that should be told.
Little Italy once spanned 50 square blocks and represented the biggest population of Italian immigrants in America. But in recent years, it’s been squeezed by the growth of Chinatown and SoHo and muscled from the rebranding of other neighborhoods like NoHo and NoLIta. In fact, NoLita was the culprit that cut the neighborhood in two. Little Italy’s boundaries may vary depending upon who you ask. Today it’s down to just a few blocks along Mulberry Street.
One of the best ways to experience Little Italy is through its food. Take your pick from mom-and-pop markets, meat and cheese shops, or authentic sit-down restaurants that offer the very best in Italian cuisine.
Every September (since 1926), the neighborhood hosts the Feast of San Gennaro, which celebrates the patron Saint of Naples Italy. 11 days of food, colorful parades, music performances, and more food. The aroma of zeppole and grilled sausage can be smelt for blocks. Try planning your visit around this festive time. It’s well worth it.