Tasteful Friends, Late Harry Potter Star Alan Rickman's NYC Apartment Listed for $1.7 Million

Living room.

Very small living room...

Small kitchen.

That will go in a sec. It's pretty cheap for a Greenwich Village loft

Bathroom.

Outside.

R2, R3--you obviously don't live in NYC.

The living room and kitchen are gargantuan

It's pretty cheap for that area.

My friend lives in that building and the maintenance is astronomically high. This affects the list price when it is so high.

I love Alan Rickman and his work, but that apartment is distinctly... underwhelming. Even by NYC standards, where we pay so much for very little.

I assume he used it as a pied-a-terre and not really as his primary residence. It's a bit shabby and underdone.

I don't mind white walls, but that seems like a fairly awful, dingy white (there really are a thousand different whites). Though it could just be the photos.

More pics in this link. It's small but spacious. Needs some paint and more color in the furnishings but has great storage.

Q: who designed the interiors?

A: nobody, not ever.

Like it. I'd be very comfortable there

Omg R12.

This is NOT a 1 bedroom apartment.

It appears that they put a makeshift divider to break up the space.

Apparently, it must have been one very big open room, and they just sectioned it off to create a "bedroom."

You can see over the bedroom wall! No privacy at all.

It's not fussy; I like it.

Love the view and the light. If it is a makeshift 1 bedroom I'd get rid of the divider and leave it open or do something else to break up the space.

It's nice as a pied a terre. I assume he had a more substantial home in England.

He's been dead 4 years, so there is no telling if this is what the place looked like when he lived there. It may have been repainted and staged for sale.

R9, did your friend know Alan Rickman? Any details? I always thought it was nice, but surprising, that he was with the same woman for 40 years. No one ever seems to have gossiped about him, beyond vague rumors that it wasn't a monogamous relationship.

Pedro Almodovar style decorator can make that place fabulous! Lots of colors.

Can confirm this was his pied-a-terre.

He lived in Holland Park, London - just off the famoue Royal Crescent.

Famous*

Not much room for Pot-ters and pans.

But what about the generous storage?!

Tricky color, gray.

[quote]I always thought it was nice, but surprising, that he was with the same woman for 40 years.

Wasn't she a local politician? I think they had to keep separate residences because she had to have one in her district and he didn't want to live in her district.

Not sure, R25. Wikipedia tells me she was on the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council. Not a bad borough to live in , even for a successful actor.

Here's his house and street in London. Can't see inside though.

How can people live without curtains?

[quote]This is NOT a 1 bedroom apartment.

Correct, it is an apartment with a Principal Suite.

Nice light. Great area. Not much else of interest about it.

Very chic and unfussy.

[quote] it is an apartment with a Principal Suite.

For $1.7 million?

Give me a BREAK!

He designed the apartment himself. He liked clean lines and was a neat freak. In all his houses he liked to have mostly white, hints of lilac and a splash of red. He also liked to have a bathtub with visible legs. When he sold his old house in London the real estate agent uploaded pics of it and the interior design was so similar to the interior design of this NY place.

Monthly fees don't seem excessive at all. Rather reasonable I'd say going by another listing which sold very quickly.

That area is prime! West Village location, Chelsea starts a few blocks north; Meatpacking District to the west, Greenwich Village to east, SoHo and Tribeca are just south....

Area is amenity rich with almost anything one could want including Chelsea Market.

Most of those commenting on this apartment either do not live in NYC, and or have never been inside many apartments here.

A dividing wall turning a large studio into a "one bedroom" or whatever has been around for decades in one form or another.

Some such as temporary pressurized walls require LL consent and approvals from city; but there other ways of creating same effect that don't require either (partial wall is one).

LLs, roommates, single or more tenants sharing an apartment etc... may say put up a partial wall to divide a large studio into a "one bedroom". This or to create a divider between living and sleeping (bedroom) space.

One common complaint about studio or many loft apartments is everything takes place in one large open room. Some places do have separate kitchen areas, but otherwise you cook, eat, sleep, entertain, dress, etc... all in one room. Some people want a bit of privacy at least for their sleeping area. Even in a small apartment it creates a bit of pressure off that comes from everything being in one room.

Otherwise if one wants privacy (when not home alone) the only other "room" is the toilet.

More:

Forgot link...

Sorry.

R28

If they're early birds with a streak of exhibitionism?

[quote]Very chic and unfussy.

So when guests are sitting at those cheap bar chairs, their feet will kick all that glassware? How very chic.

Looks like a science lab.

[quote]That will go in a sec. It's pretty cheap for a Greenwich Village loft

Everyone is fleeing the city. Rents are plummeting. RE market is set to crash.

OMG r27 that's 5 minutes from me.

Hate ocd palette of white white white wth a daub of grey.

There is such a thing as too much light.

The place has been staged to death.

I'm okay with a pared-down aesthetic, but that place is just like Rickman at this point: it has absolutely no life whatsoever.

White white white, everywhere with the white. Does no one have any taste anymore?

It's the gray I hate.

1.7 Million $???? What a dump.

Comprables are all over the place for that building, with a few recent sales only happening because of discount. But make no mistake, unit will sell near or maybe even at asking.

Thing about loft conversion units is sometimes no matter what one does you can only go so far before again being hit by reality place was never designed to be residential.

Back in the day when people first began moving to Tribeca, SoHo, Wall Street area... went to many parties or dinners and often though I'd love to have a loft apartment. A few summers apartment sitting put me off the idea; just don't like living in a big open area, I need separate spaces/rooms.

I admire the storage along the kitchen wall. I agree that the kitchen stools look cheap and uncomfortable, and I see the potential to accidentally kick and damage glassware along the bottom shelf of the kitchen island.

The gas cooktop is nice, and the stone surfaces. The photos look staged for simplicity, so the light would feel harsh if real life.

The location is prime. I’d expect high maintenance fees and taxes.

I agree that the white paint is harsh and unforgiving, and the space overall is a real “loft”, with industrial fittings exposed, and old office-like windows.

Maybe it’s me, but creeping up on $2m, I’d probably want a tub and terrace. Everyone is different that way. Ooh, watch out for adjacent building projects if you want to keep that light.

My own little place in NYC is small, but was a really good investment when I bought it in 1999. I was a kid then, but had the foresight to buy when I could. I was also lucky.

Live nearby but I still find it obscene that a 1BR is $1.7MM. Unless you have money to burn, it is totally not worth it. Get a tiny 1BR in Murray Hill or the UES for $750,000 and put a million in the bank. The West Village is so overpriced.

was he POOR?

R28

As oneself that every single time walk along High Line and see something that one shouldn't.

At first simply thought people were just lazy or tacky not to put up window coverings; then someone explained those people love an audience and know fully well people can see inside their apartments from HL.

it was just his pied a terre in New York - he lived in London.

[quote]The place has been staged to death.

What do you think killed Rickman?

Anywhere my 2nd favorite House God (after Dylan Moran) has placed his adorable tush and spoken his lush voice into the air is fine by me......

It's a pied-a-terre, not a primary residence.

He probably spent a handful of nights in NYC in any given year with some longer stints if he was doing a play.

It would be ridiculous to have a gargantuan apartment if he spent so little time in it. It was probably more like a huge closet so he could leave stuff there and didn't have to pack crap when he came to NYC.

Why did they hang on to it for 4 years after his death?

To me, this is expensive for just a pied-a-terre. I would rather stay in a hotel for the few times I'd have to visit NYC.

It must have been strange for him to get fame suddenly in his late mid to late 40's. He must have been pretty grounded about it.

Maybe his widow held onto it for a few years to use, and now that she’s older has decided to sell.

[quote]Why did they hang on to it for 4 years after his death?

Probably took a while to wind down his estate. Although he had been with his wife for decades before marrying her and had no children, it still might have had to go through some sort of probate.

R61 - there's no need for probate if he was married. It defaults to the spouse unless there are very extraordinary circumstances.

Maybe they were subletting it and they lost their tenant - that's the only thing I can think of.

Still sad Alan is gone. He seemed like such a nice bloke. Incidentally, the world started going to hell exactly around the time he and David Bowie died.

I can't believe he's been dead almost 5 years. I thought it was last year he died.

[quote] Incidentally, the world started going to hell exactly around the time he and David Bowie died.

Um....

This reminds me of the film Rickman wrote and directed, "The Winter Guest," starring Emma Thompson and her mother Phyllida Law. It sounded like a winner but it was so damn boring I had to give up halfway through. All these long static images of Pottery Barn catalog-like interiors. EXACTLY LIKE THIS. I was thinking, is sexy, electric, ingenious Alan Rickman really this empty inside, or does he just really, really love this look?

[quote] I was thinking, is sexy, electric, ingenious Alan Rickman

He was just an actor. No wonder you were disappointed.

We don't need Alan Rickman anymore, we have Ben Daniels.

"Pied a terre." Those words make me swoon. I, who have nothing.

R62

Did it ever occur to any of you that Alan Rickman's widow was using this apartment, but now has decided for whatever reasons she no longer wants to hold onto the thing.

Many older couples keep a pied-a-terre in NYC, London, Paris, or wherever for themselves but usually also the children, grandchildren, other family..... But if there isn't that need, and after one spouse dies the surviving doesn't feel he or she is going to use the place enough to warrant the bother and expense of keeping, then it's time to sell.

Rima Horton is 73 years old, she probably does not travel to NYC much or again at least enough to bother with expense of keeping that apartment.

Finally given her age Ms. Horton like many other seniors is getting her affairs in order.

I think people are wondering why she held on to it not only after Alan died, but after nearly a year of travel restrictions due to the pandemic, R70.

She can't have been traveling to NYC much if at all in recent months, and it probably is because of the pandemic, not because she's a senior getting ready to die, like you theorize.

Wealthy people often let family or friends stay in a residence without worrying how to pay for it. I am a West Village resident and have a neighbor who owns a 2 bedroom coop worth more than this unit and has not been inside it in more than 3 years and pays the $2700 monthly maintenance without a thought to it. Sometimes her niece from NJ stays for a few days other times a different friend. I expect when she dies it will remain vacant for a few years until her estate gets settled.

Honestly, it’s a bargain for that neighborhood. I love the space but wouldn’t section off a separate area for the bedroom...just leave it wide open. And I would put up some curtains.

Didn't say the woman was in imminent fear of death, just that many persons at a certain age start to look around and decide to sort out their affairs. If you reach your 70's it is a very sure bet there are far more days behind you than in front, so unless you plan on just leaving a messy estate for someone else to clear up....

Alan Rickman had two siblings and three nieces, so that apartment could have been used by any of them in past several years. Mr. Rickman also owed property in Italy which like his NYC/American assets was not disposed up at probate after his death, but both were to be dealt with separately.

At probate Mr. Richman's estate was valued at £4m ($6m) of which a bulk went to his widow. Again the properties in Italy and New York weren't part of UK probate proceedings.

Interestingly contrary to above comment there doesn't seem to have been any "automatic" about Ms. Horton inheriting her late husband's estate. Alan Rickman made final will and testament about three months before his demise leaving (among other things) bulk of his fortune to his wife. If it were "automatic" don't think there would be a need for that, but could be wrong.

Still stand by my statement that estate planning may be playing a role. The couple though together for > 50 years had no children, so who is going to get those properties in Italy and NYC when Ms. Horton dies? If she keeps one or both whoever inherits will have to pay death duties

R65, I still say things escalated quickly from 2016 onwards

[quote]He also liked to have a bathtub with visible legs.

People are so infinitely, wonderfully, weird.

What a terrible place to put the television.

Rickman was a graphic designer before he started acting professionally.

It looks no better than a council flat!

$1.7 million for this craptastic closet?

No wonder people are leaving NYC in droves!

Although to be fair, the bottom has been falling out of the Manhattan real estate market, for quite some time now.

Anyone who would pay $1.7 million for that, is a fool.

Place has a WBF, which you cannot get new any longer as Bloomberg got them banned in new construction when he was mayor.

Sigh.

It's annoying that I have to ask, but what the fuck is WBF?

People who use random, stupid and obscure acronyms and assume that everyone should know what the fuck they're talking about, need a PUNCH in the head.

So fucking irritating.

To 76 Who is weird? Alan Rickman for having a bathtubs with visible legs in both apartments or me for knowing that fact?

Wood

Burning

Fireplace

r83, in real estate listings WBF usually means wood-burning fireplace.

Clinical Cozy Chic

Thank you R85 & R86.

Fuck, y'alls must be rich as hell. I'd kill for the light and ceiling height of this place alone.

He was a graphic designer, or something like that, before he was an actor.

A row of south-facing windows, wood burning fireplace, 12-foot ceilings, and it’s the top floor unit in a prewar building.

Somehow it seems like it should have more personality.

[quote]Rickman was a graphic designer before he started acting professionally.

Are there any published or known examples of his work?

I know it’s staged but it’s so devoid of interest or personality, it’s off-putting. I don’t even like the windows.

I guess he just liked drab.

Alan Rickman got married right here in NYC, so the couple must have been staying at that apartment.

After a city hall ceremony they walked across Brooklyn Bridge to have lunch IIRC.

Examples of Alan's graphic design work after he became an actor:

R96 why are those hearts hairy?

The "industrial" look has gone out of fashion. It's too sterile and in the age of covid, people want something more cozy, warm and welcoming.

If they plunk down their $1.7 mil they can make it as warm as they like. This is a staged, blank canvas.

I just remembered... SNAPEWIVES!

I wonder if they've recovered from their collective mourning?

Paula Poundstone has a great story about introducing herself to Rickman in a restaurant, in which RIckman was in a pissy mood. She complimented Rickman and was asshole about it. So she paid for his dinner on the sly.

[quote] Paula Poundstone has a great story about introducing herself to Rickman in a restaurant, in which RIckman was in a pissy mood. She complimented Rickman and was asshole about it. So she paid for his dinner on the sly.

Another post that is grammatically unclear.

Can someone please translate?

I love this space and it's location. Top floor is magnificent but I do wonder if one can hear residents clomping around on the roof terrace as I could in my flat on Chancery Lane in London Drove me mad.

Since the roof is ceiling of this apartment one supposes yes, some sounds from persons walking (or "clomping around" as you so quaintly put it), are highly likely.

But IIRC both by local code and when roof decks are designed some sort of flooring or other material goes down which covers part or all of roof. In other words when building decided to create roof access am more than unusually sure efforts were made to protect owners of top floor units from undue noise.

Oh and nice plug for fact you live or lived on Chancery Lane in *London*.

I just Googled “snapewives” and my mouth is still hanging open! 😨

Loved him as an actor but he came across as oddly asexual to me. Gay, bi, straight? and a seemingly odd relationship with his wife. Very quiet, discreet personal life.

$1.7M for 925 Sq ft? Eesh.

rickman was a british asshole to paula poundstone, who approached rickman in a restaurant. so the offended poundstone paid for his dinner to outmatch rickman.

[quote]rickman was a british asshole to paula poundstone, who approached rickman in a restaurant. so the offended poundstone paid for his dinner to outmatch rickman.

Then she went home and diddled her daughter. And got arrested for it, if I recall correctly.

Shitty apartment for 1.7 million. We lived in such places in the early 80s. Nice apartment for 600 a month. I guess I have a grudging respect that nothing was done to justify the value, except time added.

If that’s why you get for $1.7m, it’s pathetic and I’m not surprised people are leaving NYC in droves now that there’s no reason to be there anymore.

Agreed, r111.

The city is no place to ride out a pandemic. You need that yard space and a swimming pool.

DeBlasio has made the city, West Village in particular, very dangerous with criminals running the streets and brutally attacking people. They get no bail on the charges and usually are out a few hours later to return to terrorize. People with big money are not as keen to plunk down a fortune to live where they do not feel safe. Calling a social worker to come and help is not going to make anyone happy.

The bathroom actually does have a tub.

It's a loft. 925 square feet seems huge, considering location. Agree that the partition between the living room and bedroom looks awful.

I like it. Simple layout. Large bathroom. Lots of storage, etc.

Umm...what West Village has criminals running the streets and brutally attaching people? Not the one I live in. I thought we were done overdramatizing the horror of cities now that the election is over. The West Village has been one of the safest areas of any major city in the US for years. Even with a minor uptick in crime, it is far, far, far from being overrun by criminals.

I suspect the Proud Boys have found this thread. And several others on DL.

One suspects half or more ragging on this apartment couldn't put together $17k or maybe even $1,700 atm so West Village needn't worry about their imminent arrival. Others form part of a larger group of tired sad pathetic persons who never miss a beat to trash NYC.

What is even more interesting is the obvious high numbers of persons who are or have been in rental housing all their lives. There is no other excuse for people making some of comments posted above. Hint; when you buy property you can do whatever you GD want with the interior, though in cases of condo or co-ops there might be some restrictions.

Every single thing shown in OP linked pictures of that apartment can be removed including kitchen/bath fixtures and that divider wall... right down to the studs if one wishes. Indeed many who purchase will indeed gut renovate the place to suit their own style and taste.

It is a great building, in highly desirable area as evidenced units put on market all sell at near asking.

R20

Isn’t the Royal Crescent near Regent’s Park?

The space itself is lovely IMO. I love the high ceilings and all the windows - although I would consider some sort of roman shade treatment that adds verticality, texture and and a bit of additional height to accentuate the tall ceilings and allow privacy at night. The view towards the kitchen/entry is impressive and really shows off the ceiling height. Not a fan of the shade of white (or gray) used here; I prefer something more in the ivory family, but that's an easy and cheap fix. I would also refinish the wood floors - something darker and richer would contrast better with the new wall color. If you can afford to pay 2 million for this small apartment, you could easily afford to have an architect come up with a really chic and rich-looking replacement for that partial wall which is terrible and needs to go ASAP. While they are at it - re-design the fireplace area and make it look befitting of a $2 million loft and not a high school boiler room.

Again those going on about how small this apartment is just don't have a clue.

At 925 Sq. Ft this apartment is considerably larger than average for NYC (866-890 Sq. Ft).

Am guessing many of you moaning Marys either must live in a private home. That or maybe are some of those who snagged a huge pre-war apartment sometime before God made dirt and spit, thus either paid nothing for the place, or are rent regulated and equally aren't paying anywhere near market.

R117 A lot of people shopping for a one-bedroom loft at this price point want something turnkey ready. Doing a down-to-the-studs renovation doesn’t just cost money; it’s aggravating and time consuming.

Someone busy in their career who’s not interested in design isn’t going to buy a fixer upper. They want some thing they can move into the day after closing.

In which case this apartment is *not* for them, but others will have no problem doing a renovation in full or part.

Hardly believe we're talking about persons who would be struggling to come up with a down payment here; there are no small number of persons in Manhattan or adjacent who could pay $1.7 million USD out of pocket and it wouldn't even be a rounding error. Bonus time for Wall Street isn't far away and that has historically been very good for NYC area real estate market. Don't even get me started on all the tech bros moving to or already in the city.

This apartment will go to some rich Russian whose daughter wants a place in NYC for the yearly trip to shop.

R123 Or maybe a contingent of Snapewives will pool their money and buy it and hold their rituals there.

Nice building? The windows are junk tenement style. And its not a "loft". Pulease.

It’s a fucking dump for that money. Don’t care where it is.

Ralph Fiennss lives in the same building.

14:00 in you can hear Kevin Smith say so

I wonder which person bought a unit there first?

Gee. He sure lived modestly. Don't like it.

I love the area. If prospective buyer was both wealthy and fortunate enough to purchase two abutting units and combine them as someone did in this past sale (only one pic available sadly) - it could be a very chic NYC apartment. Most are just too small to make sense as a "dream house however.

Sorry, here is the link:

R120 925sq ft is hardly much larger than 890sq ft. An extra 35sq ft. Equivalent of a WC or small storage room. Or an additional 6% of standard apartment space.

Another conversion past sale in the building: Better floor plan than Alan's and far more space:

Once again for the dimwitted: THIS WAS NOT ALAN'S PRIMARY RESIDENCE. It was a pied-a-terre for when he was in NYC.

It’s very sterile. I’m glad you NYC queens love it, but 1.7mil for a very plain looking loft seems uninspired. Is this really what you get in Manhattan for this price, or is the location prestige.

Some current NYC listings for around one million

^now 750, 800, 950 two months later

Apart from the London & New York homes he owned another one in Campagnatico, Grosseto, Tuscany - Italy. It was on Via Umberto in the centre of town, I saw him around a few times in the main square. it is mentioned in his Will as being handled separately from his UK Estate.

He apparently spent most of his downtime there.

I would have assumed it was a pied a terre . Technically the listing says he “lived there” for an extended period but that’s probably just fluff. Unless he was eccentric. I think it’s ugly even for a pied a terre.

It was nice of him to give 100,000 pounds to charity, but it doesn't seem like that much from someone who had a million-dollar pied-a-terre in NYC and main homes in London and Italy. I would have thought he was the kind to be more generous.

There could have been further bequests from his US and Italian Wills?

As your earnings and property outside of the UK don't form part of your Estate here (usually) we'll probably never know

R140 I wouldn’t. I met him and he was a dick.

How so, R142? I haven't heard much about him as a person, but his public persona didn't seem anything in particular. He seemed maybe a little cutting, but a decent person. Then again, he was great friends with luvvie Emma Thompson, so "dick" appears to be quite possible.

I think the reason he "only" gave 400 thousand pounds to charity is that his wife is still alive so he wanted the bulk to go to her. 142, what happened?

It was only 100,000, according to the Hello Magazine article.

Oh, I’ve told this story on here before, it’s not that great. I was friendly with a female reporter and she was obsessed with him. She went to see some show he was in and took along a girl she’d met online who was also obsessed with him. This girl lived in Canada or somewhere far from NYC and travelled several hours to see him in this play, or maybe he directed it, I forget. Anyway, during intermission, people were approaching him in the lobby and congratulating him on the play or saying hello. He wasn’t being swarmed or anything. Anything this girl went up to him when he and politely asked him to sign a photo for her, told him she loved his work, had travelled a long way to see him. Can’t recall what film the photo was from but it was a photo of him from her favorite movie. He said, “isn’t that a little fannish?” Really disdainful. I mean, OBVIOUSLY she was a fan, who else would approach him and say she liked his work?! It would have taken no effort to just say, “thank you,” and sign the stupid picture. Had she approached him on the street, I could see his annoyance. But this was him in his “job” as an actor. She was really devastated. Sometime later, I gave the reporter friend a lift to the city and saw one of his movies and he was there to talk about it. The movie was called Snowflake and it was the worst movie I ever saw. After, my friend wanted to talk to him and he came out and there was a handful of middle aged women waiting for him. Like, 4 in all including my friend. He came out and was just rude to them. I just can’t respect someone that rude. He’s just an actor.

His wife was with him and she looked just like DL fave Karen “Mother” Pence. I mean, they could be sisters. Maybe that’s why he was grouchy. Oh, also he was wearing a suit and the trousers were all wrinkled at the crotch. There were some very cute twink ushers working that night. I wondered if he had gotten a bj from one and that’s why his trousers were all rumpled.

It's interesting that he's so stand-offish. Usually British actors are very down to earth and don't take on the personality of Hollywood stars.

Ouch, R146. He does sound like a real pill!

Mother Pence? LOL.

R147 I met Paul McCartney several years later and he was down to earth and friendly. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[quote]There is such a thing as too much light.

100%. I prefer a dark library, mahogany walls, with a spiral staircase in a haunted manor house. With DARK furniture, lots of leather. Would choose that every time over the sort of white, bright, all-windows Manhattan loft thing.

Rickman’s pied-à-terre is exactly the sort of NYC dwelling I want nothing to do with.

R139

On a tourist visa Alan Rickman and his wife could have spent up to 90 days in NYC before having to depart. OTOH if one or both had another sort of visa then things would be different.

Fact couple were married in NYC and not London is telling. Yes it was a spur of the moment thing IIRC, but still.....

R140

IIRC Alan Rickman's final will and testament was written up not long before his demise; the man knew he had terminal cancer and was getting his affairs in order. Plus he had just married his long term partner, and thus wanted to ensure she was provided for.....

Whatever income Mr. Rickman may have planned on earning to keep up his (then) lifestyle including multiple homes obviously wasn't going to happen after his death. Thus the estate would be what it was, and legacies parceled out from what was on hand at time of death.

I don't blame Rickman for being rude. The Snapewives would ambush him with flowers, balloons, and homemade cookies. Who needs that shit?

Is there a back area in that kitchen for the carters? I miss him. He was a nice man. Love the bathroom.

[quote]homemade cookies. Who needs that shit?

If Rickman were alive he could play Philip in season 5 of The Crown.

[quote]Is there a back area in that kitchen for the carters?

When did Jimmy and Ros ever sleep in the kitchen?

Not sure but think this may be Alan Rickman's property in Tuscany.

If so can see why he chose to spend most of his time here other than New York or London.

I had to go look up “Alan Rickman wife” and I’ll be damned if the Mother Pence comparison isn’t spot on.

The 400 thousand pounds went to: 1. 100k charity Saving Faces 2. 300k (100k to each of his 3 nieces)

Maybe he had a stalker and was sensitive to the 'I am your biggest fans 'types.

I had to look up the conversion factors but 69.000 m2 is 6.9 hectares or just over 17 acres.

So a 4 bed 2 bath Tuscan villa on 17 acres in the middle of nowhere is marketed at €785K roughly half of what the West Village apt was asking.

Plus olive trees.

I want a villa in Italy.

"But that is exactly what appeals to Romans, Milanesi, Brits and Germans alike. Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal have both included the Maremma in shows about discovering the undiscovered Tuscany. Michael Schumacher was a frequent visitor and Gillian Anderson, Alan Rickman and Sophia Loren all had or have houses in the area. Italian soccer legend Gianluigi Buffon even posed for a picture on a recent house hunt in Manciano. "

Sneaking up on them....

Rima Rickman kept up a blog herself and spouse until just about a year ago. Scroll through pictures on page 2/28 and you'll find snaps taken in Tuscany where background seems to match photo linked above.

While south of France is still big, Tuscany has been on certain people's maps for some time now. Indeed word really has gotten out to point it seems everyone and their mother who can afford, straight or gay, is buying up property.

Can you blame them with properties like this?

For those with more limited finances there are dozens of old farm houses and so forth in Tuscany and Umbria on offer. They will need work of course..

That tumblr account is by a fan not Rima herself

The housing market is going to crash. This is why everyone is selling.

No thanks.

It's hideous. Like a Staybridge Long-Stay in Ohio.

Poor Alan. He deserved better.

It would seem Alan wasn’t into superficial looks.

Love his Villa. I bet you they rented out that NYC Apartment. It looks sterile.

In contract!

Told you so! We who actually live in city and know that area of West Village called it at the time, unit wouldn't be on market long, and it wasn't.