Is Bon Jovi SoHo Bound?

BUYER: Jon Bon Jovi
LOCATION: 158 Mercer (The New Museum Building), New York City
PRICE: $24,000,000 (maintenance and taxes / $9,350 per month)
SIZE: 7,437 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: (considerably shortened from the listing agent's website) Located on the best street in the New Museum building, Soho's premiere, landmarked, full service pre-war condominium, this imposing duplex is located on the highest floor in Soho...The upper level contains the entertaining rooms (with a wood burning fireplace) with walls of windows that flood the apartment with light...Terraces of unparalleled proportions leading off the entertaining room and Master Suite make this property truly world-class...This floor [lower level] is notable for its unique, over-sized arched windows, & also houses a laundry room, 2 powder rooms & a 2nd kitchen.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Guess Mister Bon Jovi is looking to move up in the world of New York City real estate. Earlier this week, Braden Keil of the New York Post reported that this getting to be over the hill hair band honcho is rumored to be negotiating for the spectacular duplex penthouse at the vaunted New Museum Building in Soho.

The Mercer Street building is no stranger to heavy hitter residents. Fabien Baron, fashion photographer, magazine designer, marketing master and the man known for art directing Madonna's infamous Sex book, lives on one of the lower floors. Hotelier and Uma Thurman loving Andres Balasz has been trying to unload his $10,000,000 10th floor apartment and of course, everyone knows that Marci Klein, daughter of Calvin and seasoned SNL producer, lives on the 11th floor in a space that rumors say she leases from David Geffen.

All the children surely remember that Mister Bon Jovi has been desperately trying to lease or sell his rather disappointing and (if anyone asks Your Mama) over-priced apartment at the Park Millennium Tower on the Upper West Side where Big Hair (Howard Stern) and that disturbing Regis Philbin also have apartments.

The penthouse Mister Bon Jovi is interested has a hefty price tag at $26,500,000. But children, just look a the floor plan and photographs. This place is gor-gee-us. Your Mama is lucky enough to live well in New York City, but sometimes we forget people live this damn well in a city full of rat infested tenements and $5,000 one bedroom dumps.

Max Abelson of the NY Observer wrote about his penthouse back in January and his report states this sky palace is owned by venture capitalist William Kriegel, the man who bought and developed the building. In Abelson's report, the listing agent, uber agent Leonard Steinberg is quoted saying Kriegel "bought the whole building to get the penthouse." Steinberg goes on to say that Kriegel is not a developer but that he also developed the Prince Street penthouse Rupert Murdoch sold to fashion designer Elie Tahari in late 2005 for the stunning price of $24,675,000.

Clearly if you want to be living in a Soho penthouse, you better have some serious cash. We still find it strange all these rich and famous folks want to be living up in Soho. This neighborhood, particularly on the weekends, is chock full of gawking tourists and middle brow shoppers from everywhere but New York City. Soho used to be this cool downtown neighborhood with loads of artists homesteading in cast iron loft buildings. But now it's just a mall. For Christ sake, there's a fucking Pottery Barn. And Sephora. Old Navy. And even a bloody Bloomingdales where the Canal Street Jean Company once was. Please. You couldn't pay Your Mama to live in Soho and be dealing with all these creepy crawly tourist shoppers day in and day out.

Don't get Your Mama wrong, we go to Soho too...we all need some cheap-o rags from H&M and some good Asian eats at Kelley and Ping...but living there is a whole other operation. Obviously, given all the recent big name residential developments down in Soho we may be in the margins about living in this neck of the woods.

Anywhoo, this place has been written up left and right already, so enjoy the photos and floor plan. Your Mama will be back on Monday with some more candy for the children.

Bye now.

Sources: New York Post, NY Observer