Anybody in the market for an $11 million Manhattan penthouse with 7,175 square feet of interior space, stunning rooftop views of the Manhattan skyline, 12-foot ceilings—and maybe a little bit of lasting damage from 9/11?
If the answer is “Yes,” give hip hop mogul Russell Simmons a call because he’s put his Manhattan apartment back on the market. The spread has been empty for a very long time. It is the place that he and Kimora Lee Simmons called home many years ago when they were still married.
But because of its downtown location, the apartment sustained so much damage after the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center 11 years ago that the family actually had to move out to a new place. An episode of “MTV Cribs” was filmed in the apartment right before 9/11 and aired after the tragic day, with the following message splashed across the screen:
“Due to the events of 9/11, Russell and Kimora’s building sustained massive structural damage. Fortunately, they were safe from harm and have since moved to a new home. Our deepest condolences go out to those that were not as fortunate.”
The 9/11 damage reportedly kept Simmons, 54, from securing a buyer, as P. Diddy was in the process of buying it when 9/11 happened. Diddy subsequently backed out.
The damage has been repaired and the place is back on the market with the original asking price of $11 million—along with the incentive of a one percent flip tax payable by the buyer. Along with the 7,175 square feet of interior space, the place also has 3,500 square feet of exterior space, in addition to four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms and a staff room with a full bathroom and a library.
Simmons, the founder of Def Jam Recordings, renovated the property but failed to secure a buyer despite slashing the price of the sky-rise apartment in 2005.
