Episode #24 Hall Willkie and Mary Rutherford: He’s running the premium agency in New York. She sells the biggest apartments. This week 2 of the biggest names in New York Real Estate reflect on 5th Avenue, Park Avenue & Central Park West, the iconic buildings, and how these neighborhoods are changing. We’ll ask them to talk about the market and peer into their crystal balls and give us their best predictions.
B&B #24: 5th Avenue, Park Avenue & Central Park West” Hall Willkie, Leslie Coleman & Mary Rutherfurd
Mary Rutherford recently sold this penthouse at the Pierre for $44 million. She sold Princess Lee Radziwill’s apartment in 2019, David Rockefeller’s apartment in 2017 for $32 million and in 2014 she sold Edgar Bronfman Sr.’s penthouse for $70 million.
Brown Harris Stevens has been famous for selling the really, really fabulous apartments of New York for the last 150 years. Hall Willkie and Mary Rutherford have been major reasons for that success for the last 38 years. Mary started in the business in 1983 and is an example of the super-agent who sells the very best. Hall has been the President of Brown Harris Stevens for 32 years. He manages 1100 agents and has built the largest privately held firm in the New York tri-state market, selling more than $9 billion in real estate in 2019.
B&B #24: 5th Avenue, Park Avenue & Central Park West” Hall Willkie, Leslie Coleman & Mary Rutherfurd
Some of what we were wondering when considering 5th Avenue, Park Avenue & Central Park West:
What was the perception of the major buildings back in the day?
How have those perceptions evolved?
Talk to us about the great architects and how they impact value.
Emery Roth & Rosaria Candela?
Is there anything that is unique to either?
What were their differences?
Who were other prominent architects?
How important was ceiling height then and now?
As ceiling heights descended, they reflect a timeline that led us straight into the 1960s at 8 feet. Who thought that was a good idea? Why did that happen? Was it considered chic? Let’s talk about the 14 feet ceilings of The Dakota to the 8 feet “white elephants”. Staff quarters were very important and an essential part of every large apartment and in the largest apartments there were multiple staff quarters (see 640 Park below). Today it would be rare to see a staff room (or live-in nanny room) in new condo construction design. You are more likely see a completely separate staff apartment and if so, it would only be one apartment, and would only happen at the super luxury level. Will that ever come back into the floorplans of the future? Take 640 Park Avenue – full floor units – 18 rooms 6 baths 4/5 Master Bathrooms 7 servants rooms (yes 7) made up of: – 4 “servant’s rooms” – 1 “butler room” – 1 “second man” room – And a “servant’s hall”
Why is 740 Park so iconic?
How have the past 10 years had an effect on these properties?
Lets talk about the restrictive (no) financing policy.
Is that still necessary? Will it disappear?
These are just some topics which I think would be fun and interesting to incorporate, but we’ll follow this conversation wherever it naturally leads.
Today at 4,Use the Meeting ID: http://zoom.us/j/92135931351
Or, binge watch on Youtube.
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Hall Willkie is recognized as a leader and an innovator in Manhattan’s very competitive and demanding high-end residential real estate market. As President of Brown Harris Stevens, Mr. Willkie oversees the Residential Sales Company and manages over 350 sales agents with sales totaling in excess of $4.2 billion. He serves as a Governor of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), and has served as a Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ethics Committee and Interfirm Committee. Mr. Willkie was honored with REBNY’s prestigious Henry Forster Memorial Award.
After college, he became an executive trainee with Federated Department Stores Inc, of Miami, Florida. He began his real estate career as a sales agent with Stamford, Connecticut based William Pitt, Inc, where he was promoted to Sales Manager. He joined Sotheby’s International Realty as Vice President/Director of its Western Division in the Los Angeles office. At Sotheby’s his sales represented record-high prices for single-family homes. He returned east as Senior Vice President of Douglas Elliman and eventually Director of Residential upstate New York.
Mary K. Rutherfurd. Since joining Brown Harris Stevens in 1984, and subsequently winning the firm’s Rookie of the Year award in her first year, Mary K. Rutherfurd has created an impressive 35-year legacy of outstanding achievement in residential real estate. Specializing in Manhattan’s high-end market, and highly sought after for her incomparable experience and discreet professionalism, Mary continues to rank as one of the city’s top brokers.JohnEngel Real Estate Hall Willkie
