Jessica Chastain bought a historic New York apartment in 2015; restoring Leonard Bernstein’s former home revealed a fireplace sealed behind a wall

Jessica Chastain was seeking a buyer for her historic Manhattan co-op across from Carnegie Hall last year. The four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom apartment was located inside the Osborne, a Gilded Age building on 57th Street in New York City. Chastain purchased the 3,200-square-foot residence with her husband, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, for $5.1 million in 2015.

The apartment has a connection to composer Leonard Bernstein. He lived in the residence during the 1950s. During that period, Bernstein reportedly worked with Stephen Sondheim on West Side Story. The home therefore has a place in New York’s musical history.

The apartment was listed for $6.49 million last year, as per a StreetEasy listing update. This is lower than the $7.45 million asking price used when the property was listed in May 2024 before that listing was withdrawn in February 2025.


The reason for the sale has not been disclosed. Chastain bought the residence in 2015 from composer Adam Guettel, who is the grandson of composer Richard Rodgers, known for The Sound of Music. The property has, therefore, been associated with several people connected to music and entertainment.

During renovation of the property, a sealed fireplace was found behind a false wall. The apartment has five wood-burning fireplaces. Other period features include oak parquet floors, crown moldings and carved doorways. The residence also has original Tiffany glass transoms and mahogany paneling. Carrier and Company handled the renovation. The apartment was later featured in Architectural Digest.

Inside four-bedroom Manhattan residence

The apartment covers about 3,200 square feet and has four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. Its L-shaped floor plan includes two formal living rooms, secondary bedrooms and a library. The two formal living rooms feature mahogany paneling and 14-foot ceilings. One of the rooms also has a bay window with leaded glass transoms created by Tiffany Studios.

The primary bedroom has a copper soaking tub and a wall of mirrored closets. It also has one of the five fireplaces found throughout the apartment. The combination of fireplaces, woodwork, glass details and ceiling height reflects the design of apartments built during the period when the Osborne was developed.

Leonard Bernstein connection

The residence’s connection to Leonard Bernstein is one of its main points of interest. Bernstein lived in the apartment in the 1950s. He was a composer and conductor whose work became part of American musical history.

His connection to West Side Story is also tied to the property. Bernstein reportedly collaborated with Stephen Sondheim while living there on the musical, which later became one of the best-known works in American theater.

The apartment has since then been owned by people connected to the arts. Before Chastain bought it, it belonged to Adam Guettel. He is the grandson of Richard Rodgers, the composer behind works including The Sound of Music. This history gives the apartment links to multiple generations of composers.

Chastain’s career

Chastain purchased the apartment after appearing in films including Zero Dark Thirty in 2012 and Interstellar in 2014. She later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 2022 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Her film work has included Molly’s Game, which is also mentioned in connection with the property listing. Chastain, 48, has owned the Osborne apartment for more than a decade. Her purchase price in 2015 was $5.1 million. The current asking price of $6.49 million is above the amount she paid, but below the $7.45 million price attached to the earlier listing.

What makes the Osborne building significant?

The Osborne is one of New York’s Gilded Age cooperative apartment buildings. It is located across from Carnegie Hall and is regarded as one of the notable residential buildings on 57th Street. The building is about 140 years old.

Residents have access to a 24-hour doorman, a landscaped roof terrace and a live-in resident manager. The building’s location also places residents close to Carnegie Hall and other parts of Midtown Manhattan.