| NY1 Onstage's Frank DiLella's apartment featured in the NY Times | |
| Last Edit: nyhkguy 04:10 pm EDT 05/12/24 | |
| Posted by: nyhkguy 04:09 pm EDT 05/12/24 | |
|
|
|
| Since it may be paywalled, some excerpts. A home buyer quickly found out his co-op shared something in common with Carnegie Hall, Grand Central Terminal and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. In September, with Covid raging, he found a 650-square foot, one-bedroom co-op, near Central Park. At the time, the working fireplace was the biggest allure. He made an offer to the co-op board that is responsible for a row of 1880s houses in the 100 block of West 78th Street. The offer was accepted, and Mr. DiLella provided the requisite packet of documents to the board, which in his case included a reference letter from the famed choreographer, Tommy Tune, a professional friend. A final interview over Zoom with several board members followed in November. Toward the end of that meeting, Andrea Rapaport, 56, a longtime owner, asked if he knew about the hidden ceiling in his apartment. She purchased an additional apartment above hers in 2016 and found her Rafael Guastavino “archway treasure when we renovated and combined the two apartments,” explained Ms. Rapaport. “Everyone who lives in the A & D line of one of the townhouses seems to have these. I was pretty sure Frank had one, too.” Mr. DiLella hired Ray Romano — a New York contractor, not the famous actor and comedian — to spearhead the project. After tapping the ceiling and hearing a hollow vibration, a hole, large enough for Mr. Romano’s head and shoulders to pop through, was cut. Mirroring a groundhog looking for his shadow, what Mr. Romano saw was “jaw dropping,” he said “It was a magnificent brick and stone archway outlined in old school wrought iron. It was like finding dinosaur bones.” Over the next two weeks, a work crew took the ceiling down in patches. A hardener and sealer were added to protect the existing mortar and brick. A matte finish, matched to the color of the bricks to maintain the integrity and prevent further crumbing, was applied. The wrought iron was sanded down and restored. When the renovation was completed, an additional four-to-five-feet of height was reclaimed, which allowed Mr. Romano to create two alcove bookshelves, one on either side of a wall above Mr. DiLella’s open kitchen. Two 1940s Hollywood-era spotlights were mounted to enhance the depth of the dome. ======= Through a google search, it looks like Frank bought the 1-BR unit for a $425K - an amazingly low price for an Upper West Side co-op. |
|
| Link | He Thought He Had Bought a Great Apartment. The Ceiling Held a Secret. |
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: How 'Appropriate'! A sweet story about Sarah Paulson and her mom on Mother's Day - TheOtherOne 09:13 am EDT 05/13/24 |
| Next: | re: NY1 Onstage's Frank DiLella's apartment featured in the NY Times - andyboy 07:16 am EDT 05/13/24 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.012659 seconds.