Celebrity watchers and West Village boys, here's some five alarm news: heart throb Anderson Cooper has bought a Greenwich Village firehouse. The high-paid CNN newsman and Vanderbilt heir shelled out $4.3 million to purchase the vintage firehouse on West 3rd Street, according to the New York Post.
Built in 1906, the four-story pad has original brass fire poles, murals documenting the fire patrol's history, spiral staircase, a backyard stable and a bust of mercury, the god of speed, over the large front door (HuffPo has pictures of the exterior).
And Cooper is no dummy. The Beaux Arts-style stunner was originally listed for $4.76 million and nominated to be on the National Register of Historic Places. If the building's façade is preserved, that means a nice tax break for the AC-360 anchor. And he will have four times the space than he does at his current penthouse on West 38th.
The New York Post reports that the New York Board Of Fire Underwriters sold the 8,240 square foot property to Firepatrol LLC in September, but neighbors have witnessed Cooper at the property ever since. Although the building is still not approved to be converted to a residence, architect/developer Cary Tamarkin is heading up the work on interiors. And according to city building records, old plumbing fixtures have been removed along with partitions. And the pole? Apparently it stays.
