Tommy Tune, the Broadway song-and-dance man, is selling a penthouse at the Southgate, a prewar co-op complex designed by Emery Roth on a quiet cul-de-sac facing the East River.
Mr. Tune, 85, owns another penthouse in the complex, but “now that I have retired, I really only need one of these apartments,” he said in an email.
Both apartments are on East 52nd Street, near First Avenue. The unit up for sale, in building No. 414, is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom penthouse with an expansive wraparound terrace and stunning cityscape and river views. The asking price is $2.3 million, according to the listing agents, Leighton Candler and Bradley Comisar of the Corcoran Group; monthly maintenance is $3,197.
Mr. Tune, a Texas native who also has a home in Santa Fe, N.M., has owned a few places in Manhattan since coming to the city in the 1960s for his Broadway debut in “Baker Street.” He bought the first apartment at the Southgate, a tower penthouse in building No. 400, in 2007 for around $1.3 million. The neighboring penthouse at No. 414 captured his attention, he said, when he learned that it was once a ballroom with 12-foot ceilings.
“Well, that made me think of dancing,” he said, “and of course I had to have it!”
Mr. Tune purchased the second penthouse in 2013 for nearly $1.4 million and then rented out the first one to friends. (He will move back, he said, after the tenants leave and he fixes it up.)
“Originally I was just going to use it as my art studio and guest house,” Mr. Tune said of the penthouse at No. 414, “but once I saw that those views were so beautiful and it had that enormous terrace, I knew I wanted to share it and entertain there.”
But not before undertaking some extensive renovations, according to Ms. Candler. He added several theatrical touches, like stage lighting on the ceilings, ballet barres for stretching in the bedroom and shower, and wood floors painted a bright royal navy blue. On the terrace is a giant red T that lights up at night — part of an old Radio City Music Hall sign.
“You wouldn’t expect Tommy Tune to live in a plain-vanilla space,” Ms. Candler said.
The apartment, measuring around 1,000 square feet, takes up the entire top floor of the building. It is entered through a private keyed elevator. A foyer opens to the living room/dining area, which is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace.
Mr. Tune had small niches built into the walls to hold the numerous awards he received during his long, successful career in the theater. These include his Tony Awards for performance, choreography and direction and his 2015 Tony for lifetime achievement in theater. He worked on several hit shows over the years, among them “Grand Hotel” and “The Will Rogers Follies.”
Beyond the penthouse’s dining area is a galley kitchen, which has wood cabinets and countertops and a washer/dryer unit. “Tommy wanted the kitchen to feel like a cowboy kitchen, so we designed it in plywood and custom-painted orange screws,” said Peter Glebo, who runs Mr. Tune’s entertainment production company.
Off the living room is a spacious bedroom, which comes with a separate alcove dressing area. The nearby bathroom has a deep shower adorned with colorful mosaic tiles; it can be reached from either the bedroom or the hallway to accommodate guests.
All the main rooms in the apartment open to the nearly 2,700-square-foot terrace, which is lined with potted boxwood plants and features a dining pergola and areas for lounging, yoga and meditation.
“The terrace is obviously the huge selling point,” Ms. Candler said. “I’ve never seen a one-bedroom with this kind of outdoor space.”
Mr. Tune said that he added artificial turf to the terrace “so that we could have croquet parties, which were such great fun.”
“There were many wonderful times there,” said Mr. Tune, who hosted numerous gatherings at the penthouse, including a wedding with a who’s who of famous guests. “Lauren Bacall would come to watch the fireworks from the terrace.”
He added, “I would never want to live anywhere else in New York but on this street.”
