It seems that Matt Damon is investing heavily in New York real estate. Or, a little corner of it. The actor and producer has reportedly purchased a six-bedroom penthouse unit in Brooklyn Heights’ Standish building. The asking price of $16.645 million would represent a record-setting figure for the borough of Brooklyn.
If brisk sales may be an indication that asking prices are being approximated, then the previous record of $15.5 million should be considered fallen. The revision of the Standish Arms Hotel—a building originally constructed in 1903—was carried out by hotshot developer DDG and Westbrook Partners, who paid $60 million for the building in 2014. The renovation was finished in June, and sales of the 29 available condos in the 12-story residential have been blistering since they commenced about a year ago. At present, 13 units are in contract in The Standish, according to public records.
The building’s developers quote Edith Wharton and cite Beaux-Arts influence in their online literature, and the limited available representative images for the residences do suggest both pragmatic formalism and a contemplative and poetic design ethos. The DDG marketing gurus also associate the building in Brooklyn’s historical roots as a soulful and community-oriented sibling of Manhattan, enhancing its appeal as an investment property.
The unit pictured below shows the building’s acute sense of style. A loft-like ideal of spatial proportion and continuation, an evocation of naturalism, and a design-oriented approach to fixtures which, collectively, suggest interior high fashion, distinguish the apartment. The model unit was shown to its best advantage, however, with DDG hiring gallery tastemaker Matter to handle the interiors.
Damon’s purchase in The Standish follows a long period of tire-kicking for the savvy real-estate investor. Aside from an abiding interest in high-end residential investments, Damon may be seen in the upcoming George Clooney-directed satire ‘Suburbicon’; the film will be in wide release this October.
