“We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day,” Linda Evangelista famously told Vogue in 1990. It was a spicy and indelible claim, but not a total shocker for the era. The Canadian-born supermodel—alongside her fellow “Trinity” members Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington—was a constant, inescapable presence on international runways, high-fashion magazine covers, and the cultural zeitgeist, serving as the primary reason countless women walked into salons and asked their hairdressers for daring pixie cuts.
Decades later, however, as she attempted to sell her sprawling Chelsea penthouse loft of more than twenty years, Evangelista faced a very different set of modern real estate supply-and-demand forces that were tilted a little less heavily in her favor. After putting the four-bedroom, two-bathroom residence in the historic Spears Building on the market for nearly $9.5 million back in 2024, she steadily recalibrated her expectations, bringing the asking price down to just shy of $8 million in January. Finally, according to official New York City property records, she closed the chapter on this iconic address by selling the apartment for $6.75 million, marking a nearly 30 percent discount from her original ambitious asking price.
Of course, the final transaction still left her with a tremendous financial upside when viewed against her initial acquisition cost. Evangelista had lived in the voluminous 4,000-square-foot loft within the converted former furniture warehouse since 2001. At the time, she reportedly paid $2.4 million—which her famous 1990 quip might contextualize as about 140 days of waking up—and subsequently fitted it out in the distinct industrial style of the day.
The interior design choices reflected a sleek, utilitarian aesthetic. The floors feature polished concrete, complemented by exposed original brickwork and butcher-block countertops in the pass-through kitchen. Natural light pours into the space through a trio of skylights carved into the towering 13-foot ceilings, including a prominent one positioned directly above the cavernous great room, which also features a working fireplace. The primary bedroom offers direct views overlooking the adjacent High Line, complemented by an en-suite bathroom outfitted with a separate soaking tub and a glass-enclosed shower stall. As for the abundant storage—boasting roughly 17 closets, including six floor-to-ceiling units situated within a somewhat shadowy dressing area—it served as a practical necessity for a legendary model with an immense wardrobe.
The original marketing materials for the property leaned heavily into the allure of its private outdoor sanctuary upstairs: a sprawling 2,500-square-foot roof terrace complete with sweeping skyline views. That very terrace, however, turned into a significant headache for Evangelista years prior. In 2015, the building’s condo board attempted to shift the entire $1.5 million cost of replacing the roof onto the owners of the building’s six penthouses. The board argued that because the deeded private terraces on the roof belonged exclusively to the penthouse units, those owners should bear the full burden rather than dividing the charges among all 30 units in the building.
Evangelista and her upper-floor neighbors—a group that included former Rag & Bone co-CEO David Neville and makeup designer Gucci Westman—fought back by taking the dispute to court. That legal battle ultimately concluded with an undisclosed settlement. More recently, Evangelista found herself entangled in another residential dispute when the building sued her in 2023, alleging she had accumulated $237,000 in unpaid condo fees and failed to maintain her apartment in the required “first-class condition.” That litigation was also ultimately resolved out of court.
Despite the legal skirmishes and the extended time on the market, the loft remained desirable enough to attract high-profile temporary residents. This past September, actor Keanu Reeves reportedly paid $45,000 a month to rent Evangelista’s former New York City home while staying with his partner, Alexandra Grant, during preparations for his highly anticipated Broadway debut in Waiting for Godot alongside co-star Alex Winter. Observers noted that the apartment’s polished concrete surfaces and monochromatic palette carried a distinctly cinematic, Matrix-esque ambiance well-suited to the actor.
While Corcoran broker Steve Gold, who held the exclusive listing, did not respond to requests for comment regarding the final sale, Evangelista has already established her next chapter further north along the path of the High Line. According to municipal property records, she quietly paid $5.2 million in March 2025 for a heavily amenitized three-bedroom corner unit situated at 35 Hudson Yards. The new residence features expansive floor-to-ceiling windows with direct views facing the Hudson River and the convenience of an Equinox fitness club located right downstairs. Neighbors and local shoppers might even catch a glimpse of her browsing the racks at the neighborhood Zara.
