The legendary Broadway duo Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein redefined musical theater with their groundbreaking collaboration on Oklahoma! in 1943. Actress and muse Mary Martin starred in their final production, The Sound of Music, which debuted on Broadway in 1959 and earned the duo five Tony Awards, along with a beloved film adaptation starring Julie Andrews.
During this time of acclaim, Martin lived in an elegant penthouse overlooking New York City, which remains the crown jewel of The Campanile. This pre-war apartment building, standing 14 stories tall with 16 full-floor or duplex apartments, is located in the Beekman Place neighborhood on the east side of Midtown. Manhattan attorney David H. Braff purchased the co-op apartment in 2013 for $8.25 million and spent three years renovating the two-floor residence, which features three terraces and sweeping views of the East River and the New York City skyline. It is now listed at $9.8 million.
The Campanile, located at 450 East 52nd Street, has a storied history, having once been home to high society and old Hollywood legends like Greta Garbo, Rex Harrison, and Ethel Barrymore. It also hosted notable figures such as playwright Noël Coward, TIME magazine founder Henry Luce, and members of the Pulitzer and Rothschild families. The building was famously the site of the Mayfair Yacht Club, a swanky Prohibition-era speakeasy raided at least once in the 1930s.
Mary Martin’s former duplex penthouse showcases Jazz Age elegance across its 5,000 square feet of uniquely designed space. A private elevator opens into a marble-floored foyer, featuring a wet bar and a striking bronze-and-marble staircase leading to the upper floor. The expansive 33-foot-long fireside great room boasts panoramic windows and French doors that open to a spacious south-facing terrace.
Upstairs, the layout features an open-plan gourmet kitchen with a La Cornue stove, a corner fireplace, and three French doors leading to a wrap-around terrace. Adjacent is a glass-enclosed sunroom that also opens to the rooftop terrace.
The primary suite offers extraordinary views and includes a marble-clad en-suite bathroom with a soaking tub and steam shower, heated marble floors, and two walk-in closets. Additional amenities include a wood-paneled study with a Murphy bed that can serve as a second bedroom, a temperature-controlled wine storage room, a dedicated laundry room, and a custom home automation system for lights, shades, and music.
According to listing agent Tyler Whitman of The Agency, “Because of the way Manhattan is shaped and the height of the apartment, it feels like it is in the middle of the river with no surrounding buildings.”
