A sprawling, 8,000-square-foot residence located inside a historic Gilded Age mercantile building in downtown New York has officially hit the real estate market with an extraordinary and irreplaceable architectural feature: an authentic, hand-painted mural by iconic artist and activist Keith Haring.
Situated within the landmark American Thread Building in Tribeca, the striking black-and-white work spans walls, structural iron columns, heavy beams, and sections of the ceiling. The piece was created in 1979 by the Pennsylvania-born artist when he was a student at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts (S.V.A.). At the time, the lower-level space of the grand loft served as an active student gallery for the institution.
The unique triplex maisonette was listed this week for $25 million by Ian Slater, Michael Koeneke, and Eduardo Martinez of Trove Partners at Compass. The listing brings rare museum-quality contemporary art directly into the upper echelon of Manhattan residential real estate, blending high-end luxury living with a tangible piece of New York City’s vibrant artistic history.
Current owner Adam Zoia, co-founder of Glocap Tech and founder of Glocap Search, recalled the immediate realization of what he was looking at when he first toured the property. "It was so obviously a Keith Haring," Zoia told The New York Times, explaining that he instantly fell deeply in love with the unusual work. Rendered using an unconventional mixture of shoe polish and alcohol—a testament to Haring’s early, resourceful street-art methods—the creation has been fully authenticated by the official Keith Haring Foundation.
The story of how the mural survived decades of urban transformation reads like a piece of art world folklore. When the School of Visual Arts vacated the lower-level space in the early 1980s, subsequent commercial tenants—including a restaurant—took over the sprawling footprint and systematically concealed the artwork behind plain sheetrock, hiding it from public view for over a generation.
It was not until 2007 that previous owners made the astonishing discovery while undertaking exploratory work, uncovering the remarkably well-preserved mural hidden beneath the walls. Architect Todd Ernst, who helped lead the effort to safely uncover the artwork, memorably compared the exhilarating moment of discovery to unearthing an ancient Egyptian tomb.
Recognizing the historic and cultural significance of the find, Zoia purchased the property in 2021 and subsequently embarked on an extensive, two-year gut renovation. A central priority of the architectural overhaul was the meticulous preservation of the Haring mural. Because the artwork was directly applied to the building’s structural iron and masonry elements, it is physically impossible to detach or relocate without completely destroying its integrity. To solve this design challenge while honoring the art, a custom-built bar was thoughtfully integrated around a portion of the mural, establishing a protective buffer that shields the delicate medium from everyday wear while keeping it fully visible.
The surrounding living spaces were entirely reimagined during the comprehensive renovation. The expansive residence now features between four and seven flexible bedrooms and nine luxurious bathrooms. The main level underwent a radical spatial transformation, incorporating modern wellness and entertainment amenities including a private sauna, a cold plunge, a dedicated screening room, and an advanced home gym. Throughout the open-plan layout, refined finishes such as seamless marble flooring and smooth Venetian plaster flow continuously, complemented by a dramatic mezzanine level and an updated, state-of-the-art HVAC system designed to maintain optimal environmental controls for the historic interior.
Art market experts emphasize that assigning a traditional monetary value to a permanent, site-specific work of this nature is nearly impossible. Jenn Singer, founder of the namesake NYC-based art gallery, noted that creations executed directly for a specific environment and physically integrated into its architecture exist within an entirely distinct market segment. While the mural cannot be detached to be sold separately, experts agree that its priceless, historic character will continue to anchor and bolster the loft’s long-term market value, provided it is properly maintained by future custodians of the space.
