After renovation, chic and minimalist Astor Place duplex seeks $17M

The home has gotten a sleek revamp in the decade since it was last on the market

If you've ever wondered how much it would cost to live at 21 Astor Place—the lovely 19th-century building at the center of the area, best known these days for the Starbucks at its base—the answer, for now, is $17.25 million. One of the building's 50 condos just hit the market, and it's gotten quite a price bump from the last time it sold in 2008.

Back then, its owner (hidden behind the not-so-creatively named Astor Place LLC) snagged it for $6.1 million, but it's recently undergone a gut renovation courtesy architect Barry Berg. The duplex apartment is now "one of the finest and most meticulous renovations you'll find anywhere," per the brokerbabble, with four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and a bevy of nifty features.

The first level has a large "great room" with an open kitchen/dining area that bleeds into the living room; there's also a laundry room and one of the four bedrooms. On the 2nd floor, you'll find the master bedroom (with en-suite bathroom, duh), along with two other bedroom/bathrooms. There's also a Savant smart home system that "remotely controls all lighting, audio-visual, atmospheric regulation, and includes 5 separate zones of humidity controlled and filtered heating and cooling" (ah, the future).

Each room maximizes the unique location of the apartment, with arched windows and exposed brick, though Berg's renovation itself is quite minimalist and modern. But is it worth an $11 million price jump? We'll let you be the judge of that.

• Listing: 21 Astor Place #7D [Corcoran]