Actor Ben Stiller’s Upper West Side Childhood Home Is on The Market
Share News:
“A good laugh is like sunshine in the house.” British novelist William Makepeace Thackeray may have penned that quote in 1853, but it’s particularly apropos for this week’s celebrity Second Shelter.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the longtime Upper West Side family home of comedy team Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara is on the market. Asking price: $5 million.
The residence, located on tony Riverside Drive, is where the couple raised their children — son, Ben, and daughter, Amy. Jerry died in May 2020 at age 92, five years after the death of Ann, who was 85, and his wife of 61 years.
The up-and-coming comedians moved into the building’s apartment 5B in 1965 — back then a rental, priced at $220 a month. It was a major step up from the Stiller’s previous address in Washington Heights.
“I think my dad always wanted to live on Riverside Drive as a kid growing up very poor on the Lower East Side,” Ben said in an email.
The Stillers purchased the unit when the building turned co-op in 1968. They added neighboring apartment, 5A, in the mid-80s.
According to the Douglas Elliman Real Estate listing, the home expresses the ideal of Upper West Side living.
“It is in a grand pre-War building, with beautiful park views in the summer and river views in the winter.”
By the numbers, 27 windows frame the unit, offering four exposures and abundant natural light. The 3,700-square foot home has five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and two kitchens. Original Pre-War features include high ceilings, numerous built-ins, and restored oak floors and window casings.
“This apartment has great bones, great views, and a livable and flexible layout,” says listing agent Bruce Ehrmann. He became acquainted with the family while Ben was working on the 1995 film “Permanent Midnight,” based on the book by Ehrmann’s best friend, Jerry Stahl.
A private elevator foyer opens up into a 32-foot-long gallery that leads to the west wing’s corner grand room, office alcove, powder room, dining area, and open chef’s kitchen. This part of the residence also features one bedrooms, an en-suite bath, and small staff area.
A gallery and hallway leading to the east wing are lined with photos and memorabilia of the famous duo, including Hirschfeld caricatures and a painting by Sam Messer commissioned by Ben as a gift to his parents. French doors open to a library/den, another kitchen, eating area, and four bedrooms including the primary suite.
Both Amy and Ben have fond memories of growing up on Riverside Drive, according to a New York Times article.
“It was our whole lives that happened there — everything from birthday parties, to Thanksgiving, Passover seders, and Christmas mornings and Hanukkah evenings,” said Ben. The actor is currently working on a documentary about his parents that will include his childhood home.
Stiller and Meara were among the first to go through Chicago’s Second City improv troupe, then went on to make a name for themselves as a comedic duo in the ’60s and ’70s. The Ed Sullivan Show was a regular gig. Later, the elder Stiller famously played George Costanza’s father Frank on Seinfeld, as well as Carrie’s father Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens.
Building amenities include a full-service staff, fitness center, children’s playroom, and courtyard. The co-op is surrounded by the neighborhood’s emblematic pre-War brownstone and apartment house architecture, as well as shopping, dining, museums, and both Riverside and Central Parks.
