| The Briarcliffe | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2024 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Condominiums |
| Address | 171 West57th Street,MidtownManhattan,New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°45′56″N73°58′47″W / 40.7655614°N 73.9795838°W /40.7655614; -73.9795838 |
| Completed | 1922 (103 years ago) (1922) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Warren and Wetmore |
| References | |
| [1] | |
The Briarcliffe is a 13-story, 35-unit residence at 171 West57th Street, at the northeastern corner withSeventh Avenue,[2] inMidtown Manhattan,New York City. Located just north ofCarnegie Hall, the property was built as a hotel in 1922, designed by architectsWarren and Wetmore,[2] and converted to its current purpose ascondominiums in 1999.[1] The Briarcliffe is part ofBillionaires' Row and shares acity block with theAlwyn Court to the north and165 West 57th Street,One57, theNippon Club Tower, theCalvary Baptist Church, and111 West 57th Street to the east.
In 1998, the owner of the building hired architect Richard Rice to ready the deteriorating property to be placed on the market. The building'smurals had been damaged by water, and Rice was prepared to restore them; however, the following year, the building was converted to a condominium, and the murals were destroyed in the reconstruction work.[2]
Charles K. Eagle, who moved to the property in October 1923[3] from theRodin Studios diagonally acrossSeventh Avenue and57th Street, built himself a 5,573-square-foot[4]penthouse apartment, with a 1,847-square-foot[5] terrace that wraps around the southwestern corner of the building.[2]
During its construction in 1921, and at a cost of $8,000, Eagle had extra steel beams included in the terrace's construction to support extensive garden plantings. "My wife and I have always loved the country and growing things, flowers and birds. Why should we have to leave town in search of the things that made us happy?"[6][2] As such, the terrace featured flower beds,Japanese pines, a fountain withspeckled trout, birdhouses and pheasants and squirrels.[2]
Eagle's wife, Tecla, suffered a nervous breakdown during their time at the Briarcliffe. In the summer of 1928, Eagle, who had been battling a three-week attack ofinsomnia, committed suicide at the apartment. He had sold the property one month earlier.[2] When hiswill wasprobated, his estate had been hit by theWall Street Crash of 1929, for what was once worth $3.9 million was now worth $141,000. At the time of his death, he owed $3 million toChase Bank, due in two months.[2]
After work was undertaken on it by interior designerMario Buatta, the penthouse was sold again in 2007. Having been a five-bedroom apartment in Charles Eagle's day, the introduction of an office, an exercise room, and a media room, it was considered one-bedroom.[2]
Former Secretary of CommerceWilbur Ross bought the penthouse for $18 million in 2007. He put it up for sale in October 2015 for $21 million; by March 2017 it had dropped to $16.5 million, which was less than he bought it for. It was listed as having fourteen rooms,[4] including four bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms.[5] It sold, at a loss, in October 2017, two years after it was first listed. Its price tag was $15.95 million.[7]
