Inman

Manhattan’s ‘Devil Wears Prada’ townhouse sells for $26.5M

StreetEasy/20THCENTFOX/EVERETT COLLECTION

No one can predict the future of real estate, but you can prepare. Find out what to prepare for and pick up the tools you’ll need at Virtual Inman Connect on Nov. 1-2, 2023. And don’t miss Inman Connect New York on Jan. 23-25, 2024, where AI, capital and more will be center stage. Bet big on the future and join us at Connect.

The Manhattan townhouse that played the home of publishing titan Miranda Priestly in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada has sold for $26.5 million, according to news reports.

The seven-bedroom six-story townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side spans 12,000 square feet and was listed for $27.5 million in May, according to The Wall Street Journal

In the film, the townhouse serves as the home of Meryl Streep’s character, the editor of fictional fashion magazine, Runway — reputedly based on Anna Wintour’s Vogue. In reality, the home was purchased in 2003 by hedge fund manager Craig Effron for $8.8 million. The new owner of the house is unknown.

Douglas Elliman’s Corey Shuster, who represented the buyer alongside Arthur Maglio and Ibrahim Guldiken, told the Journal his client had been looking for a house in the neighborhood for around 18 months. When the townhouse at 129 East 73rd Street came on the market  “it fit like a glove,” he told the newspaper.

The buyer appreciated that it is “a very good house for entertaining” and that the seller kept the house in good condition, according to the report.

[Inman Slideshow]

The limestone and marble townhome was built around 1907 and renovated in 2007, according to the listing description. It features a cust0m-built basketball court on the top floor, an eat-in kitchen with a gingham-patterned floor, and multiple outdoor areas, including a terrace with a whirlpool spa.

The seller was represented by Adam Modlin of Modlin Group.

While properties at this high price point have been lingering on the market for slightly longer in New York as of late, this townhouse was snatched up relatively quickly, according to StreetEasy property records.

During the second quarter, luxury home sales fell approximately 40 percent from the same time last year, according to a recent Douglas Elliman report. Prices were up by about 4 percent during the same period, though.

Email Ben Verde