Inside Kelly Bensimon’s downtown NYC apartment inside landmark former police building
Hi, page six. I’m Kelly Kuren Benson. Make yourself at home. Come on. Just to give you a little history, this is the police building. We are in what we call Soho, Chinatown area. And this building has been here since 1909. and it was built for Teddy Roosevelt when he was supposed to be commissioner, but he was like, I have other fish to fry. It’s called the presidency. And so they then made it into a co-op in the late8s. And I have been here all of my adult life, even before I was married, before I had kids. I’ve had so many amazing experiences here. What I love about this building is that it’s all loft style. So, the space is so unusual and every single apartment feels like a home. And then there’s only 55 units, so you know everyone. And it’s just really serendipitous that I am the broker specialist of the building for Douglas Element. I know the people that should be living here. I understand the value of the property. Whether the market goes up or down, this property is one of the most iconic in New York City. There’s only a few buildings that even are similar to this building. And I just feel so honored that I get to live and work in the one of the coolest coolest buildings. If these walls could talk, you have no idea what it would tell you. I mean, you’ve had everyone here from Calvin Klein, Stephie Graph, France, Lind Evangelista lived next door to me, Christy Turlington live lived next door to me. All the supermodels, all the super elite, the best bankers, designers, artisans, everyone has lived or come through this building. So, welcome to my living room. This is one of my favorite rooms because what we did is that we mirrored the entire wall and then we painted it with like a gray black so it gives it that very Parisian vibe and it just opens up the space but it also makes it super cozy. So, Gregory Besonette, who’s a celebrity home stylist, helps me with all of my interiors and all my properties, and we go through everything, all the aesthetic together. I like to start at the very beginning, and that is my daughter’s painting in a chrome hearts frame. It is a spectacular, spectacular frame. So, this is my friend. He came from the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Costume Institute. Uh Anna Winour gave this horse to me. So, he’s a celebrity in this apartment. You’re welcome to say hello to him. And he is adorned with a saddle that was given to me by Carla Fendi from Fendi. I’m in love with this Parson’s table. It came from my parents’ home in Rockford, Illinois. So, it really really means the most to me. As you can see behind us, we have a lot of art. We have like an amazing old flag. We have a schnobble. We have some beautiful photographs of some horses in Hawaii. And what I like is I like to layer up art. So, sometimes I’m feeling like I want the horses in Hawaii to be center stage. Sometimes I want something bright, something I want. Sometimes I want something that’s very American. It depends on the vibe. And I really love to change up the vibe of my apartment every couple of months. You guys now know that I’m not the biggest fan of hanging art. I just like it to be around giving me this warm vibe. This is a Gata Air. She was a BNL winner. And it’s a really, really special piece. Not only because gotta have won the BNA, but it was the anniversary of my daughter’s first birthday when we were in Venice celebrating. Happy birthday, C. Welcome to my breakfast table. This is a really special place because this is where I have my coffee and do a lot of my calls. And I feel so good at this table because I am sitting on 18th century chairs that came from my ex-husband’s family’s art collection. Thank you to Jill’s Aaron. This carpet is her number one seller in white. She’s like, “You, are you sure you don’t want white?” I was like, “No, no, no. Pink is the color of the season.” So, every single listing that I sell deserves a bottle of Moette. So, every single listing from $42 million to $5 million, they’re all here. California, Florida, New York, the Hamptons, everything I’ve done is right here. Maybe one day I’ll pop them to celebrate. So, welcome to my primary bedroom. This is an iconic room because it’s where Tarzan sleeps. Tarzan, are you sleeping? And we also have a lot of different things from my life. So, this is a gorgeous blanket from Chanel, one of the first cause that was given to me by Carl Loggerfeld. It’s just a very cozy vibe, sundrenched. I love waking up here. So, as you guys can tell, I love color and I love celebrating the things that mean a lot to me. So, this is my wall of handbags and art. This Louis Vuitton bag on top was given to me by the president of Louis Vuitton when I was the editor of L Accessories. I will never forget that moment. He told me the most solid word of advice. He said, “When the mother and the daughter come in and buy the same thing, you have a brand.” and always remember that. So, that was a really cool, fun anecdote. And then this Tom Ford gold bag I wore to the Oscars in 2023. It’s a very, very cool bag. When you’re going to the Oscars, you need a bag that has you can put a lot of things. So, it’s a very chic cocktail bag. So, we are in the loft and this is the second bedroom which you can see is very very ample. I am sitting on one of my trunks. I love love to decorate with my horse trunks. First of all, it just reminds me I’m like, “Oh my god, I remember when I was in that horse show and I jumped that jump or I fell off that horse.” I just love all those memories. So, my jumbo Birkens that’s to my over there. Hi, Jumbo. How are you? It’s one of my favorite bags. I use it to store my throw pillows and I’ll even take it with me to the Hamptons. It’s my one of my favorite favorite bags. It’s heavy. So, one thing that I love about the police building and these apartments is that the closet space is unbelievable. I actually have my own shoe closet. Are you guys ready? You’re not going to believe these shoes. They’re really disorganized, but they’re there. Ready? One, two, three. Well, these are the ones that I bought for Bravo Con. They’re so hot. They’re so high. My feet were swollen, but I felt so gorgeous. So, behind me is one of my favorite Hermes pillows. So, I took a lot of my Hermes scarves and I made them into pillows and I gave them to my daughters and they are all over my apartment. What a better way to eat popcorn and hang out watching your favorite TV shows than laying against an Airmes pillow. And I also frame the scarves so they’re all over the apartment and they add just an incredible color. One of my biggest takeaways for living at 240 Center Street or living in any of my apartments is decorating and living with what you love. That is the ultimate lifestyle. Thank you guys so much for joining me today. Page six, we love you.
Kelly Killoren Bensimon’s sunny, loft-style apartment is nestled within The Police Building — a historic architectural gem that once served as the New York Police Department’s headquarters and has since become a home to several A-list celebrities.
The former “Real Housewives of New York City” star — who has hopped from apartment to apartment within the gilded downtown Manhattan property over the last few decades — took Page Six on an exclusive tour of her current pad.
“I just love living here. I love the vibe. I love the area … I mean, you’ve had everyone here,” Bensimon gushed, listing off past residents like Calvin Klein, Steffi Graf, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista.
Read more at https://pagesix.com/2025/10/09/lifestyle/inside-kelly-bensimons-downtown-manhattan-apartment-in-the-police-building/
#kellybensimon #housetour #nyc
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