Anderson Cooper Buys A Firehouse

CNN anchor buys historic New York firehouse for $4.3 million

The New York Post reports that CNN's Anderson Cooper has purchased a firehouse in downtown New York. With a $4.3 million dollar price tag, we have to imagine Cooper plans to convert the old firehouse into a home. While Cooper has not yet filed plans for a residential conversion, the Post reports that he has hired Cary Tamarkin, an architect known for residential conversions of former industrial spaces.

According to the Post, "The building, built in the Beaux Arts style, still has its original spiral staircases, brass fire poles, overhead beams used to dry hoses and walls covered with murals marking the fire patrol's history." The 1906 building on West Third Street was recently nominated for recognition on the National Register of Historic Places for its historic facade. Meanwhile, The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation has asked the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the structure.

If Anderson Cooper's worried about the landmarks commission interfering with his renovation plans, his choice of architects couldn't be better: Tamarkin was the architect behind the first new residential building in Carnegie Hill to be approved by The NYC Landmark's Preservation Commission in over 50 years -- a major feat.

Wonder what a firehouse looks like when it is converted to a home? This spectacular firehouse-turned-residence in San Francisco is one shining example.