Nick Sprayregen, David to Columbia’s Goliath, Tucks Away $7.65 M. UES Condo

Nick Sprayregen made his fortune, and his name, on the West Side of Manhattan, where his family’s Tuck-It-Away storage empire was based. It was a humble business until Columbia University decided it wanted to expand its campus into Mr. Sprayregen’s backyard, at which point he became one of the staunchest opponents of the university’s plan, and a media darling because of it.

Still, Mr. Sprayregen has long called the Upper East Side home, where he has just as great a propensity for turning a strong real estate deal. Three years ago, Mr. Sprayregen bought a Newhouse’s duplex on East 76th Street for 40 percent off. Now, the self-storage kingpin has sold his home around the corner for twice what he paid a decade ago. Read More