Manhattan Home of Couple Who Built Kleinfeld Bridal Empire Lists for $6.95 Million

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The longtime Manhattan home of Jack Schachter and Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter, the late couple behind the famed Kleinfeld Bridal store, is hitting the market for $6.95 million.

The three-bedroom co-op at 880 Fifth Avenue, renovated by architect Peter Marino, served as the couple’s full-time residence from the 1990s until their deaths, according to their sons, Dr. Robert Schachter and Ronald Schachter. Jack Schachter died in 2008 and Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter died earlier this year at the age of 99, said Robert Schachter. 

Kleinfeld Bridal is featured on the TLC television series “Say Yes to the Dress.” Originally called I. Kleinfeld & Son, it was founded by the Kleinfeld family in 1941 as a Brooklyn fur store, according to Robert Schachter. Jack and Hedda Schachter, who married in 1941, were responsible for the store’s day-to-day operations, and Hedda Schachter spearheaded the store’s transition to focusing on bridal gowns, Robert Schachter said. In 1990 the family sold the store, which is now located in Manhattan. 

For around 40 years, the Schachters lived above the Kleinfeld store in Brooklyn. They also owned a small country house in Connecticut, according to Ronald Schachter. In 1988, they bought the Fifth Avenue apartment in cash for $1.6 million, according to Jean Meisel of Brown Harris Stevens, who shares the listing with business partner Gillian Bland. 

“This was their first beautiful home,” said Robert Schachter. Located on the 20th floor of the 21-story building, the apartment spans roughly 2,400 square feet. 

The Schachters spent over a year renovating the space with Marino, who also redesigned the Kleinfeld store for the couple, according to Robert Schachter. Marino, who worked for the Schachters early in his career, has also designed spaces for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tiffany & Co. 

Hedda Schachter trusted Marino’s vision completely, Robert Schachter said. “She would not move anything unless Peter said that it was a good idea,” he said. Marino didn’t respond to a request for comment.

During the renovation process, Marino tore down walls to open up the apartment’s floor plan, according to Robert Schachter. The Schachters also imported wood finishes from Scandinavia and Venetian plaster from Italy, he said. 

One of the Schachters’ favorite features of the apartment was the view. “You can see the entire skyline from Central Park South all the way up to Harlem,” Robert Schachter said. “It’s really breathtaking, the way it’s situated. You walk in and you are exposed to this expansive view of the park and the West Side.”

The family often gathered at the apartment on New Year’s Eve to watch fireworks. “Seeing those fireworks is one of my most outstanding memories,” Robert Schachter said. The family also hosted Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment with meals catered by the high-end restaurant Daniel.

Hedda Schachter loved the apartment’s location, according to Meisel, who was also a neighbor and friend of the couple. “I would be walking back from dinner with Hedda, even when she was well into her 90s, and she would stop at different design shops on Madison Avenue and comment on who the person was, what they were doing and why their designs were good or current,” she said.

The Schachters’ apartment is in “excellent condition,” Meisel said, but “we anticipate that its new owner will do some modifications to add their own signature to the space.”

In New York, much like real-estate markets across the country, luxury home sales have slowed in the wake of the pandemic-fueled boom. Luxury sales volume in New York City fell 35.98% in the three months that ended June 30 from the same period of last year, according to data from Redfin. 

Write to Libertina Brandt at [email protected]