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The Man Behind Pokemon Asks $18.95 Million for Midtown Penthouse

Posted on September 07, 2016 | by Chhing Chhut in News | 1429 Views

The Man Behind Pokemon Asks .95 Million for Midtown Penthouse

The apartment is listed with Howard Margolis, Jeff Adler and Marie Espinal of the Margolis Team at Douglas Elliman. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Al Kahn, the licensing executive who introduced Pokémon and other animated series imports, is selling his four-story penthouse in Midtown Manhattan for $18.95 million. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Mr. Kahn bought the property for about $5.4 million in 2012. He and his wife, actress and writer Jillian Crane, spent about $4 million to undergo a 2½-year renovation on the property. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE The couple, who were still engaged when they closed on the apartment, learned they both have a love of Art Deco-style furnishings, which they used throughout the space. A Julian Schnabel painting is displayed. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Every lighting fixture in the apartment is an antique find from Italy or France, Mr. Kahn says. Much of the furniture is inspired by the French Art Deco movement of the 1930s and beyond. Furnishings are not included, but may be negotiable.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Al Kahn, the man who loosed Pokémon on the masses, is selling his four-story penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan for $18.95 million.

Mr. Kahn, 69, a licensing executive, introduced a number of animated series to the U.S. and global markets, including Japanese imports “Pokemon,” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!” He also came up with the term “Pokemon,” after deciding its original name “pocket monsters” sounded too Americanized. (Has he tried the Pokémon Go mobile game? “Absolutely not,” he said, but wishes the creators well.)

Mr. Kahn bought the property for about $5.4 million in 2012. He and his wife, actress and writer Jillian Crane, spent about $4 million to undergo a 2½-year renovation on the property.
Mr. Kahn bought the property for about $5.4 million in 2012. He and his wife, actress and writer Jillian Crane, spent about $4 million to undergo a 2½-year renovation on the property.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Located in the Park South Lofts, the roughly 4,300-square-foot apartment has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, three half baths and seven outdoor terraces covering 1,975 square feet. There is a built-in sound system throughout the home, including the private outdoor pool.

A dining area overlooking the city skyline.
A dining area overlooking the city skyline

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Mr. Kahn bought the condo from the developer in 2012 for about $5.4 million, as a surprise gift to his then-fiancée, Jillian Crane. Now married, they spent around $4 million to gut the apartment “down to the cement,” Mr. Kahn said, and undertook a 2½ year renovation for an Art Deco-inspired interior. This has been their primary home.

The apartment is listed with Howard Margolis, Jeff Adler and Marie Espinal of the Margolis Team at Douglas Elliman. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Al Kahn, the licensing executive who introduced Pokémon and other animated series imports, is selling his four-story penthouse in Midtown Manhattan for $18.95 million. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Mr. Kahn bought the property for about $5.4 million in 2012. He and his wife, actress and writer Jillian Crane, spent about $4 million to undergo a 2½-year renovation on the property. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE The couple, who were still engaged when they closed on the apartment, learned they both have a love of Art Deco-style furnishings, which they used throughout the space. A Julian Schnabel painting is displayed. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE Every lighting fixture in the apartment is an antique find from Italy or France, Mr. Kahn says. Much of the furniture is inspired by the French Art Deco movement of the 1930s and beyond. Furnishings are not included, but may be negotiable. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE An Art Deco-inspired glass and mahogany bar in the living area DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE The living, dining and kitchen areas are spread across a single floor in the four-story apartment. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE A dining area overlooking the city skyline. DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE The kitchen. The couple used cherry wood floors throughout the space.
The kitchen

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The entire third floor is a master bedroom suite, with two dressing rooms, his-and-her bathrooms and a sitting room. The home has a built-in sound system, inside and out, and a dropdown projection screen in the living room.

A bedroom.
A bedroom

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

The couple said they weren’t planning to sell, but after speaking to real-estate agents invited to a recent party, were convinced otherwise. “They plied us with our own champagne,” Ms. Crane joked. They plan to keep a presence in the neighborhood and possibly start another large renovation project.

There are views of the city from virtually every room.
There are views of the city from virtually every room.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Ms. Crane is an actress and author who penned a screenplay for the erotic thriller “About Yvonne.” The couple is currently working on a Broadway musical based on “The Boys of Summer,” about the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Howard Margolis, Jeff Adler and Marie Espinal of the Margolis Team at Douglas Elliman have the listing.

The home office.
The home office

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

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