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I.M. Pei's Centurion Building Boasts Condo with More Space Outdoors Than In

By Mary Johnson | February 10, 2012 1:53pm
The outdoor terrace of the two-bedroom unit at I.M. Pei's Centurion is 1,500 square feet, while the interior space is just 1,400 square feet.
The outdoor terrace of the two-bedroom unit at I.M. Pei's Centurion is 1,500 square feet, while the interior space is just 1,400 square feet.
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DNAinfo/Mary Johnson

MIDTOWN — Famed architect I.M. Pei’s posh Centurion building in Midtown unveiled a unique unit inside the 19-story tower this week— a sleek two-bedroom condo that offers more space outdoors than in.

The condo’s terrace, surrounded by a wall of fake and real ivy, tops out at 1,500 square feet, while the interior space offers just 1,400 square feet, said Young Moon, a broker representing the building at 33 W. 56th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

While several of the building’s 48 units have terraces, he added, “this is the one that really stands out.”

The unit, listed at $3.8 million, is part of a building designed by Pei, the architect behind the Four Seasons Hotel in New York and Kips Bay Plaza, a pair of residential towers between East 30th and East 33rd streets in Manhattan.

"I see New York as the most exciting city in the world," Pei said in a promotional video posted on the condo’s website. "It's not the most beautiful — it's the most exciting."

The Centurion has 31 different floor plans split between its 48 units — about 70 percent of which have already been sold, Moon said.

The building has been popular among international buyers who appreciate its proximity to Fifth Avenue, Central Park and nearby museums, the broker added. The Centurion even succeeded in luring a buyer away from the Plaza Hotel, he added, thanks to its boutique feel and high-quality construction.

The units that remain on the market include the two-bedroom unit with the monstrous terrace, as well as the building’s three penthouses, which range in price from $12 to $14 million each.

For interested buyers, there is also an option to combine all three penthouses into one, massive 12,600-square-foot condo for a cool $39 million, Moon noted.