NYC condo owned by Benihana ā yes, that Benihana ā asks $1.9M for sale
A condo at the Olympic Tower in Midtown thatās owned by Benihana of Tokyo is about to hit the market for $1.9 million. Yes, that Benihana.
Thatās quite a hit. The theatrical, teppanyaki-style restaurant chain ā a longtime popular destination for families celebrating birthdays for children, as well as adults doing the same while looking for a sense of nostalgia ā bought the smashing residence, located near its flagship on West 56th Street, for $2.6 million in 2015.
That was long after the death of Benihana founder Rocky Aoki ā the father of model and actress Devon Aoki and DJ/music producer Steve Aoki ā who founded the chain in 1964 and passed away in 2008.
The large one-bedroom, 1?-bath condo at 641 Fifth Ave. features floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase views of Midtown, Billionairesā Row and Central Park South. Aristotle Onassis developed Olympic Tower in 1975. It is known as the original New York luxury condo tower where the globally rich could stay free from scrutiny and the invasive-style board interviews theyād face if, instead, they tried to buy their way into the cityās most elite co-op buildings.
Benihanaās former corporate home opens to a large foyer, which leads to the chefās kitchen, laundry and an open living/dining area. Thereās also a separate bedroom wing. The two full baths feature marble floors. The residence boasts ample closets and two custom-designed, built-in Italian mahogany closets that significantly add to the homeās storage options.
This unit, in particular, has some āvery glam, and very ā80sā details, such as mirrored walls and curved wood built-ins, a broker said.
The listing brokers are Erin Boisson Aries and Dustin Crouse of Douglas Elliman.
Built around 50 years ago, Olympic Tower doesnāt have the shiny amenities of new luxury towers that cater to the global 1%. But it still boasts a certain cachet among the moneyed set, including Hollywood stars, kleptocratic dictators and European con artists.
In fact, the building boasts some of the cityās best real estate scandal stories.
This is where Anne Hathaway lived with her Italian ex, Raffaello Follieri ā before he was carted out in handcuffs by the FBI; pled guilty to 14 counts of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering; spent four and a half years in jail and was deported to Italy for masterminding the Vati-Con scandal.
The Olympic Tower is also where Nicolas Cage owned on the 48th floor before he had to sell to help pay off a $14 million tax bill.
The Gucci sisters, Alessandra and Allegra, also still own the penthouse duplex ā a 9,450-square-foot behemoth that is on the market for $35 million. (They first tried to offload it for $45 million in 2015.)
Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd ā who this year was dropped by music rights company BMG over his antisemitic comments and his suggestion that Russiaās invasion of Ukraine was the latterās fault ā also once lived in the building.
Other owners included kleptocrats, such as the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his shoe- and gem-loving hoarder wife Imelda, who owned five units in the building. Their son Bongbong Marcos is the Philippinesā current president.