Iconic pop singer and songwriter Mariah Carey has decided to part ways with her longtime Tribeca penthouse in New York City, listing it for $27 million — more than 20 years after showcasing the penthouse on an episode of ‘MTV Cribs.”
Carey first purchased the sprawling penthouse in 1999, where she decided to buy two separate units in the same building for a combined $9 million, turning them into a stunning triplex that still exists today.
Inside the exclusive listing
Although the listing does mention Carey’s ties to the property, it’s known as her “former” place of residence, despite property records showing that the pop singer has not changed ownerships since purchasing the home over 25 years ago.
The listing, which is held by Emily Beare and Lexi Alper of Coral Real Estate, notes that the property is being offered for “the first time ever,” suggesting that it is still owned by Carey herself, who purchased it through an LLC named for the property’s address.
The penthouse still has a very unique decor that Carey has taken pride in showing off on numerous occasions throughout the years — as well as collaborating with booking.com in 2022, showing her property to a lucky fan for a “Christmas card photoshoot”.
From MTV Cribs to one lucky buyer
Carey also showed her penthouse property in a popular episode of ‘MTV Cribs’ in 2002, not long after renovations on the triplex were completed. In the episode, Carey stripped down to her towel and dove into her enormous soaking tub – where she later noted that she was “wearing a body suit” during the scene.
However in recent years, the pop icon has rarely used the penthouse with property records showing that it was put up for rent in January 2025, asking for $32,500 a month.
Records indicate that Carey has taken several loans out against the home, racking up a whopping $18.6 million in debt in connection to the penthouse, which occupies the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors of the Franklin Street building.
The listing states that the buyer will not only have the honor of owning a “one-of-a-kind” home in the “heart of Tribeca” but also one that can show off “both design pedigree and cultural cachet” thanks to its famous owner, who hired notable interior designer, Mario Buatta, to renovate the entire home as soon as she bought it.
An interior design connoisseur’s dream
The home has many unique features such as painted ceilings, bronze-inlaid flooring, silver leaf embellishments and –needless to say—a wonderfully decorated Christmas-themed living area, decorated with fir-inspired lighting fixtures that frame many windows overlooking the terrace.
Although the listing images don’t showcase the more intimate living spaces in the property, including the bedrooms, bathrooms, or the workout room, where Carey is seen exercising in high heels, during her ‘MTV Cribs’ appearance, the singer’s signature trademark can be found in primary living spaces.
During a 2001 interview with Architectural Digest, Buatta, who passed away in 2018, revealed that the design inspiration behind the apartments renovation, notes that his client “loves luxury”, an infatuation that he wanted to reflect throughout the home.
“I wanted to create a background for Mariah’s own glamour,” Buatta explained. “She exudes glamour—and sex appeal, too. She has incredible charisma.”
The main living room offers a spectacular “360-degree view from the Hudson River to the Manhattan skyline”, and is adorned with varying shades of gold–although virtually staged photos were added to show how the space might look with a more neutral palette.
However, during her “MTV Cribs” tour throughout the home, Carey remarks that the space wasn’t used much, noting that it was the “more serious” room in the house and added: “Most of my friends and I, we don’t even bother coming into this area.”
She adds that the most iconic feature inside the room was a white grand piano that was previously owned by Marilyn Monroe–where she reportedly paid $600,000 for, however it does not appear in the listing images.
Another one of her favorite parts of the home, she recalled, was the views, admitting thay she has always dreamed of owning a penthouse that overlooked Manhattan.
That same view is showcased in great detail in the listing, which notes that the vistas can be enjoyable from both the inside and outside areas.
“The residence [is] defined by scale, light, and flexibility,” the description adds. “[It] spans the top three floors of one of downtown Manhattan’s most sought-after addresses, offering over 12,700 square feet of interior space [and] 1,100 square feet of private outdoor space.”
The outdoor space is a sweeping terrace that wraps around a majority of the property and features multiple seating areas.
Since the property occupies three floors of the home, it gets “four exposures”, the listing noted, meaning that it’s “filled with light throughout the day”.
Two is better than one
Although the penthouse is being sold as one unit, the description highlights that there is an opportunity for a “developer or design-minded buyer” to separate two apartments, noting that the “16th floor can function independently.”
However, they aren’t featured in the listing photos, the property includes spectacular eight bedrooms, as well as seven full bathrooms, along with 3.5 bathrooms. The penthouse also features a private gym, and a movie theater.
Carey has not made a comment about why she is selling the property, which for many years has been her primary residence, even though she has bought and sold numerous homes across the U.S., as well as purchasing a mansion with her ex-husband Nick Cannon, including an expansive home in the Bahamas.
