Superhero enthusiasts might jump (or, more appropriately, fly) at the chance to live in Superman’s apartment, so when DDG and Westbrook Partners launched sales at its new condominium building in Brooklyn Heights earlier this month, the fact that it was "Superman’s condo" dominated press coverage. This building stands on the site of The Standish Arms Hotel — now rebranded as simply The Standish — which was the home of Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman.
But this isn’t the only luxurious abode in New York City that was once home to a famous fictional character beloved by children. Below, our four favorites:
Clark Kent, aka Superman - The Standish, Brooklyn Heights
In the Superman comic book, Clark Kent lived in apartment 5H at The Standish Arms Hotel in Metropolis, where his famous suit was stolen by the Rope Burglar. In reality, the hotel that apparently inspired Kent’s pad in the comic was actually located in the posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and is now being redeveloped into a luxury apartment block called "The Standish." It’s quite unlikely, though, that a reporter’s salary at the fictional Daily Planet would allow Clark Kent to buy a home at The Standish, with prices ranging from $1.3 million for a one-bedroom condo to $13.5 million and up for a five-bedroom.
Stuart Little - 4 Gramercy Park West, Gramercy
It can be worked out through studying illustrations of the book that everyone’s favorite mouse — who first appeared in E. B. White’s 1945 children's novel and later hit the big screens in 1999 in a loosely adapted movie — lived at 4 Gramercy Park West, a historic townhouse at the edge of Gramercy Park. The townhouse on the highly sought-after tree-lined street is real and dates back to 1846. In real life, it was once home to James Harper, a former mayor, while Bob Dylan was photographed for his the "Highway 61" album cover on its stoop. These days, it is split into six apartments and is pretty pricey. A three-bedroom home was rented out at the beginning of the year at a cost of $28,000 a month, according to Streeteasy.
Eloise - The Plaza, Midtown
Eloise, the 6-year-old girl created by author Kay Thompson in a series of children’s books, lived in a "room on the tippy-top floor" of the 20-story Plaza Hotel in Manhattan with her nanny, her pug dog and her turtle. The books were written in the 1950s (when the Plaza was a hotel only) and real estate prices have soared since then. City Realty recently estimated that her apartment would be the equivalent to one of the six-plus bedroom condos currently for sale, as there would need to be room for her nannies and tutors, et al. Today, that would set her parents back around $20 million.
Harriet the Spy - 558 East 87th Street, Upper East Side
Harriet, an aspiring writer and sleuth, resided on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and in the four-story townhouse located at 558 East 87th St. The building reportedly inspired her fictional home which was put on the market earlier this year for the first time in 70 years at $4.95 million. The 3,000-square-foot Queen Anne House-style townhouse was built in the 1880s and reportedly went into contract last month. Louise Fitzhugh, who penned the book back in the 1960s, lived on 85th Street.