What Is a Penthouse? (It Wasn’t Always As Luxurious As You’d Think)
Photo: Francois-roux/Getty Images
Penthouse: The very name is synonymous with luxury, yet many people aren’t sure what one actually is. And if you asked the average person, “What is a penthouse?” they’d probably either balk or get it technically wrong, thinking it must involve skyscrapers, high ceilings, bizarre perks, or even opulent details like gold-covered everything.
The real answer is both more complicated and simpler than you might imagine and involves a fascinating history that traces penthouses’ origins and evolution to technological advancement and the growth of modern cities.
Below, AD speaks with New York City architects and a New York City real estate agent who specialize in penthouses to dissect what these luxury apartments really are, where they came from, and what living in one entails.
What Is the History of Penthouses?
Penthouses have far humbler origins than most people would imagine today. In fact, they started off as, essentially, sheds.“Penthouse” is a 16th-century mishmash of Middle French and English meaning an attached house with a sloping roof—basically lean-tos people jimmied up against the main house to store tools or feed or house animals. They were considered so inferior to regular housing that, to emphasize the modesty of Jesus’s birth, some priests around this time said that Jesus was born not in a manger but in a penthouse.
Antique photograph of World's famous sites: New York
As city structures grew bigger and taller, a builder or building owner might stick a penthouse—still basically just a shed—on the roof of a building to serve as utility storage or even housing for someone who worked in the building. The upper floors of buildings, which were harder to get to, hot, badly ventilated, and cramped, were the least desirable units, not unlike how the top stories of manor houses were where the household staff lived. When the Dakota opened in New York City in 1884, it was the lower apartments that were the most desirable and went to the wealthiest families—the top floors were only for storage, laundry, and servants.
Modern penthouses began their social ascent after World War I. The postwar economic boom saw more people moving to jobs in cities, which spurred the construction of apartment buildings—and more creative ways to make use of a decreasing amount of space. Passenger elevators, which Elisha Graves Otis, industrialist and inventor of the safety elevator, first installed in New York City in 1856, had been around for decades, but taller residential buildings made them a necessity—and increasingly commonplace. In the 20th century, living on the fifth floor of a building no longer necessarily meant walking up 10 or 15 flights of stairs. Top-floor apartments became more attractive to buyers, which in turn, gave architects more incentive to make top-floor apartments more attractive. In the 1920s, developers like Emery Roth began incorporating terraces into top-floor apartments.
“As buildings grew taller, trailblazing architects such as Rosario Candela, Emery Roth, and J.E.R Carpenter began to understand the value of designing ‘luxury or pinnacle’ upper-floor residences now known as penthouses—which could take advantage of privacy, views, and the opportunity for private outdoor space due to required setbacks on building façades,” says Tara King-Brown, a broker at the Corcoran Group in New York City.
Penthouse View of Manhattan in New York City
In New York City during this time, the mansions that had taken up so much now-coveted land in neighborhoods like the Upper West Side were sold off to make way for high-rise buildings—with the wealthy industrialists moving to the top floors in lavishly appointed apartments. (The better-off insisted on private elevators that took them home without having to hobnob with the hoi polloi who lived on the lower floors.) In Lifted: A Cultural History of the Elevator, author Andreas Bernard describes how, in 1926, one wealthy family let their 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue home be demolished and then recreated it on the top floor of the apartment building that took its place.
Penthouses—now opulent residences—went from being architectural quirks in the beginning of the 1920s to a luxury trend by the end of the decade.
“Although Babylon had its hanging or terraced gardens, built to please a mountain-bred queen who was homesick, the modern movement to city roofs is only a few years old,” reads an article titled “Manhattan’s $300,000 Roof Dwellings” in the November 1929 issue of Mechanix magazine. (Today, that’d be about $5.5 million.) “For centuries, we have used flat roofs merely as rain-and-snow sheds, as places for chimneys to emerge, and more recently, as supports for ‘wireless’ wires. At the same time, every large city has for years been crying for more park area… Yet the total roof area of a city almost equals that of the city itself, less streets and sidewalks… Large buildings now planned are especially suitable for roof dwellings and gardens. Architects now design roofs amply strong enough to support the most elaborate roof dwellings.”
By 1965, penthouses were so firmly associated with luxury living that publisher Bob Guccione used the word for the name of his new magazine, a rival to Playboy. The tagline for Penthouse was one of the rarest of double entendres, an architectural one: “Life on Top.”
Characteristics of Penthouses
On paper, it’s simple: Penthouses are apartments or condominiums that occupy the top floor or part of the top floor of a building. A penthouse doesn’t even have to take up the entire floor, just as long as it’s one of the living spaces on the top floor.
“Simply stated, a penthouse apartment occupies the upper level or levels of the building—it is the ‘crown jewel’ perched high above the bustle of a city,” King-Brown says.
So, technically, even if you have a dingy studio on the 16th floor of a 16-story building, you could get away with boasting to everyone at parties about your “penthouse pied-à-terre,” since you wouldn’t be lying, strictly speaking. But you’d certainly be guilty of being deceptive, as most people associate penthouses with a luxe life superior to the rest of the building and not merely a top-floor unit.
“Generally, the interiors are elevated in their design, distinguished often by higher ceilings, higher-end finishes and appliances, and in many cases, include private rooftop or outdoor space that is unique to the penthouse level and offers a sanctuary for its owner,” King-Brown says.
Types of Penthouses
Just like any other apartments or condominiums, penthouses come in all shapes and sizes—arguably more, thanks to their top-floor location and owners’ typically deep pockets. That includes duplexes, triplexes, full-floor spaces, outdoor space, and so on. Typical luxury amenities include unobstructed views, floor-to-ceiling windows, generous terraces, rooftop swimming pools, oversized tubs, private entrances, private elevators, and more square footage.
But it’s the unusual luxury features that people like to hear about in penthouse living.
“I am notorious in my office for pushing clients to install outdoor showers—whether they’re enclosed or out in the open,” says Kevin Lichten, of Lichten Architects in New York City. “Only in town houses and penthouses can you include an outdoor shower.”
Alexander Zilberman of his eponymous firm, also based in New York City, says penthouses let architects really put their skills to the test.
“The sky’s the limit, really,” he says. “As an architect, I can get pretty customized and creative within any unit layout, but…I like solving nuanced design problems, and you do tend to have more of those in a penthouse. They are usually in parts of the building that don’t follow the standard floor plate, and there is always some architectural feature to work with, or around. Those challenges light me up as a designer.”
The results, he adds, can be spectacular.
“I went to a party at a penthouse in New York’s Financial District, a place with sweeping views of Brooklyn Heights, Governor’s Island, and the East River through double-height, full-glazing window walls,” he says. “There was a heliport there, which our host said regularly received high-profile visitors including the president of the United States. The apartment owner said that you could enjoy a bird’s-eye view of all the security protocols, watching as snipers took their places on rooftops. That is something pretty unique to penthouses, for sure.”
Advantages of Penthouses
There’s more to living in a penthouse than the social cachet. Architects love to make use of the potential for outdoor space that the top floor of a tall building affords, offering both the best views and privacy.
“In addition to upper-floor views, usually, they are in parts of the building that are set back from the street, so they have much better access to natural daylight,” Zilberman says. “Also they usually have less intrusion from the building core to work around, and less interaction with neighbors, for that matter, offering more privacy.”
German penthouse with minimalist design
Being on the top floor of a building also means that penthouses often have higher ceilings than apartments on lower floors, since there’s literally no ceiling dictating how high they can go.
Another benefit to top-floor living?
“If you’re the absolute top floor, you don’t need to worry about noise from an upstairs neighbor,” King-Brown says.
Disadvantages of Penthouses
But there can be downsides to penthouses too, starting with the premium prices.
“With a penthouse you might have these extra expenses: stairs between levels, outdoor furniture, landscaping, exterior wall cladding, waterproof paving on terraces, French doors, and more, depending on the specific space and design,” Lichten says.
King-Brown points out that shared costs in an apartment building are often calculated by how much square footage your unit takes up. A penthouse unit is usually the biggest unit.
“Penthouses are typically the most expensive real estate in a given building,” she says. “They provide gracious living and dining spaces for entertaining, and often boast the largest floor plans. [But] carrying costs are based on size or value, so often the penthouse’s corresponding carrying costs are also much higher. Perhaps the maintenance of extensive outdoor space and landscaping is [also] a consideration.”
So is the height and weather, according to Matthew Boland, a principal at New York City’s MMB Studio Inc.
“Once you get that high in a building, it is often cold,” he says. “This occurs mostly in buildings over 30 floors tall.”
New York City skyline, USA
And if a building’s uppermost floor wasn’t designed with residences in mind, the architects and designers may have to get creative to make it habitable.
“In one penthouse, we were able to add a bath where there had never been a bath by utilizing a ‘grinder’ and an ejector,” Boland says. “We always joke that we have no idea where the waste is ejected to. In reality, it is ground up and ejected to the nearest sewer pipe that we did have. That being said, we have never shared [the reality behind] this ‘special toilet’ because my client was afraid no one would use that powder room!”
And penthouse issues can rear up even before you move in—like when you’re building one from scratch.
“The degree of difficulty for the designer is definitely heightened,” Zilberman says. “For example, in some cases, the elevator does not reach the penthouse floor, making deliveries and construction more challenging. But mostly, penthouses are all upside,” he adds.
What Do You Need to Look for When Buying a Penthouse?
Just like you would with a house or any other top-floor space, you should examine the roof carefully before buying.
“When selling penthouses, I always advise clients to investigate the roof and façade condition above to understand if there have been leaks,” King-Brown says. “As there’s no one above to absorb any water or roofing issue, any related problem could impact the penthouse and create ongoing headaches.”
Is It Harder to Sell Penthouses?
There’s a smaller market for penthouse buyers or renters because penthouses usually come with higher price tags. Their unique features might also keep penthouses on the market longer.
“It’s not necessarily that penthouses are harder to sell, but it might take longer to find the right buyer who is looking for the specific attributes and price point,” King-Brown says.
Do Penthouses Cost More to Buy Than Other Condominiums or Houses?
Not officially, but yes, according to King-Brown.
“There is no formula for calculating the ‘penthouse premium,’ as it’s completely case by case, but you can bet your bottom dollar there is a premium!” King-Brown says. The cost difference often depends on how unique the penthouse unit is compared to other apartments or condos in the building. “I’ve seen penthouses which are only slightly more expensive than the identical layouts on floors below, and I’ve seen grand, one-of-a-kind penthouses that are two to three times the price per square foot.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Are penthouses always on the top floor?
Yes, by definition, a penthouse is a living space on the top floor of a building. However, it might share that designation with other condominiums or apartments also on the top floor, or be a duplex or triplex that only has part of its total space on the top floor. Some building complexes will also brand a collection of its most luxury residences as “penthouses” even if not all of them are on the top floor, though technically speaking, it wouldn’t be the right use of the term.
Is a penthouse suite different than a regular penthouse?
For the most part, a penthouse suite and a penthouse are the same thing.
“It’s a fancier term for the same thing, as a suite is just a collection of rooms,” King-Brown says. “For example, we often use the term ‘primary bedroom suite’ to describe an all-encompassing area that a primary bedroom occupies—perhaps this includes the bedroom itself, one or two dressing rooms, one or two en suite bathrooms, plus private outdoor space off the primary bedroom.”
Posh Living
Are penthouses more expensive in New York City than mansions elsewhere?
It’s hard to compare such different kinds of real estate in different markets, but New York City penthouses remain among the most coveted properties around the world.
“I would say penthouses—as a property type—are more spectacular and coveted in New York City than they are in other locales,” King-Brown says. “A grand penthouse on Park Avenue or Billionaires’ Row is the equivalent, cost and prestige-wise, to a Bel-Air or Beverly Hills mansion on the West Coast.”
Are there standard floor plans for penthouses?
No, there is a huge variety of floor plans for penthouses, and many are unique because of the peculiarities of their specific buildings.
Do penthouses always have higher ceilings or more square footage than other apartments in a building?
No, not necessarily. Penthouses come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes not necessarily being large or luxury.
If I live on the top floor of my building, can I call that the penthouse?
Yes, we officially give you permission to call your top-floor apartment a penthouse, even if it’s barely big enough to hold your cat’s litter box. King-Brown even encourages it.
“If you’re living on the top floor of your building, then you’re living on the penthouse level,” she says. “While it is rare to see elevator-equipped buildings that haven’t labeled their top floors as a penthouse, they do exist. Instead of ‘Penthouse A,’ the address might be ‘14A,’ which, as a real estate agent, I find perplexing. Why not take advantage of the penthouse status? It adds value.”
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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