Steven Van Zandt has spent decades as Bruce Springsteen's right-hand man in the E Street Band. He also had a surprise second act playing mob consigliere Silvio Dante on "The Sopranos." Along the way, he and his wife Maureen acquired one of the most unusual celebrity homes in New York City: a spectacular duplex penthouse occupying the top two floors of a converted 19th-century church.
Now the couple is looking for a buyer willing to pay $18.995 million for their eccentric Greenwich Village residence. That's more than triple the $6 million they paid in 2008, and the asking price comes with some remarkable architectural features, including original stained-glass windows, 20-foot ceilings, exposed wooden beams, and a leopard-print staircase. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment also features a purple bathroom decorated with stars and peacock feathers, a private outdoor kitchen, and enough dramatic flourishes to make even the most adventurous interior designer feel right at home.
A 166-Year-Old Church Turned Luxury Penthouse
The Van Zandts' residence occupies the upper two floors of Novare, a boutique condominium building at 135 West Fourth Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood. The building was constructed in 1860 as the Washington Square Methodist Church, also known as the Peace Church, and underwent a residential conversion in 2006 that created eight luxury apartments.
The conversion preserved much of the church's Romanesque Revival architecture, including its enormous stained-glass windows and vaulted wooden ceilings. Instead of replacing those historic elements with a conventional modern interior, the designers embraced the contrast between 19th-century craftsmanship and contemporary luxury. Exposed industrial ductwork, steel beams, and glass accents share space with original timber supports and colorful stained-glass windows.
Van Zandt and his wife purchased their 3,504-square-foot duplex in February 2008, less than a year after the conclusion of "The Sopranos." Maureen, an actress, had played Gabriella Dante, the wife of Steven's character Silvio, throughout the show's run. The couple subsequently filled the apartment with an eclectic collection of furnishings, artwork, and decorations that reflected their personalities.
The resulting aesthetic is decidedly maximalist. Among the more unusual touches are a leopard-print staircase, a black-and-white patterned kitchen, and even a French-language movie poster for "La Dolce Vita." The formal dining room features an Atomic Age chandelier, while the primary bathroom combines purple tones with stars, peacock feathers, and elaborate graphic patterns.
Rather than relying on listing photographs alone, Brown Harris Stevens agents Mark D. Friedman and Richard Rosenthal have released a three-minute video tour of the residence. Check it out:
As you can see, the apartment has an unusual inverted floor plan, with the primary entertaining spaces upstairs and the bedrooms downstairs. A private elevator opens onto the upper level, where a foyer leads to a formal dining room, lounge, and an expansive open-concept living space beneath soaring, wood-paneled ceilings. A long gallery connects the rooms, with the church's original stained-glass windows providing splashes of color throughout.
The main living room opens directly into a kitchen with graphic black-and-white tilework and a large island. From there, accordion-style glass doors lead onto a 500-square-foot private terrace with an outdoor kitchen and dedicated spaces for lounging and dining. The terrace provides a rare combination of privacy and open-air entertaining space in one of Manhattan's most desirable neighborhoods.
Downstairs, two large bedroom suites flank a media room that can be converted into a third bedroom. One of the bedrooms includes a dressing area, while the primary suite features a walk-in closet, office nook, and that memorably extravagant bathroom. Large arched stained-glass windows continue onto this level, flooding the rooms with colorful natural light.
One of the more unusual aspects of the listing is its price history. Steven and Maureen originally put the penthouse on the market in June 2026, asking $15 million. After failing to secure a buyer, they temporarily withdrew it from the market in July. Normally, a seller returning to the market after an unsuccessful listing might consider cutting the asking price. The Van Zandts did the exact opposite.
In early October, the property returned with a new brokerage and a price of $18.995 million. That represents an increase of $3.995 million, or nearly 27%, in less than four months. The property also received a refresh before returning to the market, including painting, repairs to flooring and stonework, new lighting, and professional staging.
A Potential $13 Million Real Estate Windfall
For Van Zandt, who has a net worth of $80 million, the sale could produce a substantial return on a property he has owned for more than 18 years. At the current asking price, the couple would receive $12.995 million more than their original $6 million purchase price. That figure does not account for renovation expenses, real estate commissions, taxes, and other transaction costs, but it illustrates the enormous appreciation the couple is hoping to capture.
At $18.995 million, the apartment is being marketed at $5,421 per square foot of interior living space. Ownership also comes with significant monthly expenses. According to the listing, condominium common charges are $4,091 per month, while property taxes total another $5,768. Combined, that's $9,859 every month, or $118,308 annually, before utilities, insurance, or any mortgage payments.
The building has attracted other celebrity residents over the years. Actor Jude Law previously rented a different penthouse in the converted church, reinforcing the property's longstanding appeal to entertainment industry figures seeking something outside the conventional Manhattan luxury market.
For Van Zandt, the residence has been an especially fitting home. The musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor has never followed an entirely conventional career path. After helping shape the sound of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, he became a television star despite having no prior professional acting experience. He subsequently created radio programming, launched his own record label, and starred in the Netflix series "Lilyhammer."
It seems appropriate that a man who built such an unpredictable career would end up living in a penthouse that was once a church, complete with stained-glass windows, an industrial loft kitchen, and a staircase covered in leopard print. Now all he needs is a buyer who shares his taste in architecture, appreciates his distinctive decorating choices, and has $19 million to spend.
Read more: Steven Van Zandt Is Seeking $19 Million For His Quirky Manhattan Penthouse Inside A Former Church
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