8. 56 Leonard, New York, $47 M
This Herzog & de Meuron-designed building in the glorious Tribeca is almost entirely made of glass, providing city views through floor-to-ceiling crystal clear windows. The 60-story condominium tower is already taking shape as the most alluring addition to the downtown skyline in years. From afar, it looks as if some magical forces were sucking all the glass boxes in Malibu up into the sky.
The penthouse is worth $47 million, which makes it one of the most expensive residences ever to be sold in Manhattan or even the whole New York. An Anish Kapoor sculpture is situated at the base of the tower and there is a 24-seat cinema and a 76-foot lap pool inside. One of the final touches will be Kapoor’s seamless metallic balloon, worth $8 million, crammed into the space between the lobby and the sidewalk.
