How you doin’?
The former owner of the “Friends” building in the West Village just earned a 79% profit on his investment. Jeff Sutton’s Wharton Properties sold the famous site at 90 Bedford St. for $32.7 million, according to city records.
The legendary sitcom used the 90 Bedford site as the exterior of “Friends” characters’ Rachel, Monica, Joey and Chandler’s apartment building.
The building’s facade is synonymous with the hit sitcom series. NurPhoto via Getty Images
The “Friends” cast on the set of character Monica Geller’s apartment. NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jeff Sutton, founder and president of Wharton Properties, is the seller. CUNY
The Real Deal broke news of the off-market deal brokered by Baseline Real Estate Advisors’ Michael Sherman earlier this month, but the foreign buyer remained unclear — until today.
Given the unassuming building’s financial success and pop culture popularity, it’s no wonder JP Real Estate Group Limited wanted in. The new owner is a Japanese investment entity, according to reports, with jurisdiction in the Cayman Islands.
Sutton, who paid $18.25 million for the building in February 2024, extensively renovated most of its 21 apartments, the outlet reported, all of which are fully leased. Sutton’s efforts earned him quite the pay day.
Fans of Matthew Perry left flowers and tributes to the actor outside of 90 Bedford following his death in 2023. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Little Owl restaurant occupies one of two ground floor retail spaces. Annie Wermiel/NY Post
The business endured a rash of “Friends”-themed, illegal graffiti left by tourists in 2019. Annie Wermiel/NY PostThe über-popular building’s most recent vacancy, a two-bedroom, left the market in late November at $6,500, according to StreetEasy.
Despite the fact that the scenes were shot in Los Angeles, the building has become a hotspot among “Friends” devotees from around the world. Fans flocked to the address following the 2023 death of Matthew Perry, leaving behind flowers and letters.
It’s also attracted unwanted attention. Chef and owner Joey Campanaro of the restaurant Little Owl, located on the ground floor of the building, told The Post in 2019 that touristshad taken to tagging his building with illegal, “Friends” themed graffiti.Campanaro said the problem began after a well-meaning chalk artist and Little Owl patron tagged the facade with a tribute to the owner: “I love Joey.”
A street view of the 21-unit residence. Google Maps
The “Friends” crew hanging out on the roof of their Bedford Street building. NBC UniversalThe prior owner of the building, the late developer Frederick Rudd, took steps to resolve the problem in 2020 — after his stepmother, Bobbi, took notice of the issue, Campanaro said.
“She was furious when she saw the writing and made sure her sons had the side of the building cleaned and removed all the ‘Friends’-related markings tourists had added,” Campanaro said.
Campanaro confirmed that he briefly met the building’s newest owner, although couldn’t share his name. He described the Japanese businessman as fairly young, and quite wealthy.
JP Real Estate Group Limited — and its mysterious, reportedly youthful owner — has been on a buying spree this fall, according to city records. The entity’s acquisitions include a $24.9 million deal for two Greenwich Village walkups in August and a $17 million Soho walkup in September.
