NYCs wealthiest are clamoring to live in this surprising pocket of Manhattan

They’re trading in Birkenstocks for Bentleys.Downtown Manhattan — long known for its bohemian flair and cobblestone cool — has officially gone couture, with property prices now giving Billionaires’ Row a serious run for its money.In the biggest signal yet of the neighborhood’s changing fortunes, financier Harsh Padia and his wife, Purvi, sold their swanky duplex at 150 Charles St.in the West Village this March for a jaw-dropping $60 million — more than double what they paid nearly a decade ago.The buyer? A high roller from quant trading giant Jane Street Capital, which recently expanded nearby, sources told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the area’s luxe transition. “There’s a whole bunch of very wealthy people working in the vicinity, meaning they often want to live in the vicinity,” Compass broker Clayton Orrigo told the outlet.

“They’re buying up the West Side Highway.”Indeed, downtown’s transformation from an artsy enclave to a gilded playground is being fueled by a flood of finance and tech firms staking their claim south of 14th Street.Heavyweights like Deloitte, StubHub and Jane Street have inked major leases at Hudson Yards and near the World Trade Center, while Google has planted its latest flag in the former St.John’s Terminal in Hudson Square.“It’s one of the wealthiest corporations on the planet,” said Leonard Steinberg of Compass.

“That changes the profile of the neighborhood.”And the homes, they’re just as flush.Downtown saw more $30 million-plus sales in the past five years than the entire previous decade, according to Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group. Since 2023 alone, buyers have scooped up more than $1 billion worth of homes priced above $20 million.A few highlights: a penthouse at 67 Vestry St.in Tribeca went for $41.4 million in February.

One High Line in West Chelsea sold a $49 million stunner last year.And a $52 million deal closed in 2023 for another 150 Charles unit tied to ex-...