The Plan: A Condo Where New York Modern Art Meets French Design

What do you get when you combine French architecture and design with the sophistication of Midtown Manhattan and the Museum of Modern Art? You get the condominium building at 53 West 53rd Street — more specifically the nearly 6,000-square-foot definition of elegance that is Residence 69. 

The tower itself was designed by the Pritzker Prize–winning French architect Jean Nouvel and features interiors from Thierry Despont and Humbert & Poyet. 

“There’s 161 residences throughout the entire building, but every single residence is different from one another,” said Jade Chan, senior sales manager at Douglas Elliman. “I personally like to look at it as a piece of art. Of course, we have a connection with the MoMA downstairs. This apartment itself is a full-floor residence with 360-degree views. We’re at 5,772 square feet, and it’s a four-bedroom, with four and a half bathrooms.”

Waking up to a stunning wrap-around sight of New York City is what dreams are made of. There isn’t a room in the entire unit that doesn’t give you a perfect view. 

The main lounging and dining area of the condo — which Chan expects to sell for over $40 million — overlooks Central Park. Imagine heading to the kitchen to fix your morning coffee, and then walking to the living room to glance out of the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows to see what is going on down below in what is arguably the world’s most famous park. 

Before you even enter the unit, the connection to MoMA at the base of the building is apparent in the artwork that greets you at the door. And we’re not talking about a perfectly placed portrait. The entry hall was hand-painted using a mix of darker colors meant to heighten the perspective line toward the brighter living areas and those iconic views. 

Additional elements of the unit include a bar area and a library, as well as a private office space in the unit’s southwest corner. The bathrooms are the stuff of luxury spas, with deep soaking tubs, elegant shower stalls, and light-up mirrors that can be adjusted to the preferred height. 

Residence 69 was completed in December and is being marketed quietly, having only recently been made available. 

“Residence 69 was shaped by a shared vision and a strong spirit of collaboration,” Humbert & Poyet said in a statement. “Together with Pontiac Land Group and Douglas Elliman, we were given the freedom and trust to conceive this residence as a singular and deeply considered interior, one that responds both to its architectural context and transforms living into an experience.”

Standing 82 stories, 53 West 53rd Street saw its first closing in 2023. The building includes amenities such as a 65-foot lap pool that was purposely built directly above the space in MoMA that holds one of Claude Monet’s incomparable “Water Lilies.” 

“This building was designed with art collectors in mind,” Chan said. “At the end of the day, the overarching buyer for Residence 69 is a sophisticated buyer who understands a high level of design and is an art collector.”

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.