Tribeca Loft with 1979 Keith Haring Mural Lists for $25 Million

A seven-bedroom Tribeca loft containing an original Keith Haring mural painted directly onto its walls has listed for $25 million, according to the New York Times.

The 8,000-square-foot triplex occupies part of the American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway, a Renaissance Revival building completed in 1896. The catch is structural. The mural is painted onto the building's walls, ceiling, and structural supports, so the art comes with the listing — or the listing comes with the art. Beyond the Haring, the property offers 28-foot ceilings, nine bathrooms, a screening room, a gym, and a sauna.

Haring painted the work in 1979, shortly after he arrived in New York to study at the School of Visual Arts. At the time, the school used part of the building as a student exhibition space. The mural was executed in a mixture of shoe polish and alcohol. It features the swirling, graphic forms and figures that would soon become hallmarks of his work.

How did the mural survive?

The artwork could easily have disappeared. After the School of Visual Arts vacated the premises, the space became a restaurant, and the mural was concealed behind wallboard. It stayed hidden for decades. Renovations by previous owners uncovered it in 2007.

As Tribeca Citizen reported, New York magazine first reported the discovery in 2008. Architect Todd Ernst, who helped uncover the mural, compared the experience to discovering an Egyptian tomb. Remarkably, the water-soluble artwork survived despite its proximity to a sprinkler pipe.

The current owner, Adam Zoia, an executive in the recruiting industry, bought the apartment in 2021 and later completed a two-year renovation. He told the Times he recognized the unsigned mural immediately as a Haring. Zoia said the Keith Haring Foundation later authenticated the work.

During the renovation, Zoia installed a bar in front of the mural, partly to protect it from accidental damage. The artwork extends across an iron column, a beam, the ceiling, and the surrounding walls.

What does this change for the sale?

The mural's site-specific nature presents an unusual valuation problem. New York dealer Jenn Singer told the Times that the work is nearly impossible to value separately from the property. Unlike a painting that can be removed, sold, and installed elsewhere, this Haring is effectively inseparable from the apartment.

Zoia was less cautious. Were it possible to remove the work, he said, it might be worth more than the apartment itself.

For now, the mural and the loft are being offered together through Ian Slater, Michael Koeneke, and Eduardo Martinez of Trove Partners at Compass. The sale will test whether a buyer will pay $25 million for a home whose most valuable feature cannot ever be moved, framed, or resold on its own.