Picture this: Tom Cruise as your building’s superintendent. Believe it or not, this was a reality long ago.
Before his breakthrough role in the 1981 film “Taps,” the world-famous movie star worked as a super in a historic limestone Renaissance Revival townhouse on the Upper West Side.
Now, this very townhouse is about to hit the market for $14.99 million.
During that time, Cruise resided in a modest 300-square-foot studio apartment at 50 W. 86th St. His mother paid half the rent, while he covered the rest by performing tasks such as changing lightbulbs and taking out the garbage.
In the 1980s, Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr., who were dating at the time, also lived in the penthouse, which contributed to the townhouse earning the nickname the “Good Luck building.”
This five-story, 9,165-square-foot townhouse spans 25 feet wide and features a private gated entrance. It retains its original moldings, an ornate staircase, and around 18,000 square feet of air rights.
Although the property is currently divided into nine units, including two duplex penthouses, a commercial space, and a pool, it can easily be converted back into a single-family home.
The seller, Therese Flaherty, is a former celebrity makeup and hair artist who resided in the building before purchasing it from previous owners Lee and Libby Allen for $2.7 million in 1999. Lee was an actor, dancer, and comedian known for his role as Eddie Ryan in the film “Funny Girl” alongside Barbra Streisand, while Libby was a singer and cabaret performer.
The Allens even hosted a cast/birthday party for Streisand in the building when there was a pool in the basement. They were deeply connected to show business and often rented out apartments to struggling actors, including Cruise, whom they considered part of their extended family.
“They were a showbiz couple and treated some of the residents like family. Their lives revolved around that building,” Flaherty explained. “They once showed me a heartwarming Christmas card from Tom’s mother, thanking them for taking care of her son. She would often leave a note to let them know that Tom had taken care of the chores before flying off to LA.”
Flaherty carried on the tradition, renting to actors such as Hank Azaria. At one point, she covered up the indoor pool in the basement and opened an art gallery, hoping to support the careers of young artists as well. “After 25 years of living and working here, it’s time for a fresh chapter outside of Manhattan,” Flaherty stated.
Designed by architects Neville & Bagge and constructed in 1907, the building also housed King Curtis, Aretha Franklin’s musical director and band leader, who tragically died from stabbing in front of the townhouse in 1971. Rev. Jesse Jackson conducted the funeral, which was attended by music icons like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, who also performed at the service. Curtis’s band collaborated with artists such as Andy Williams, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, and John Lennon. In fact, Curtis worked with Lennon on the “Imagine” album in the townhouse’s ground floor studio, known for its acoustics due to the pool. Prior to that, the building served as a speakeasy.
The listing broker for this property is Rex Gonsalves of Brown Harris Stevens.
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