Taconic Partners’ Charles Bendit Buys Upper West Side Co-op

Taconic Partners has made a name for itself with neighborhood-altering projects throughout the city, but one of its principals is going with something a bit more classic on the Upper West Side.

Charles Bendit, the commercial developer’s co-founder and co-CEO and with his wife, Karyn, bought a prewar co-op at 15 West 81st Street for $10.5 million — about 10 percent off its $11.6 million ask. The seller was journalist and author Clara Bingham, records show.

The five-bedroom apartment spans 5,000 square feet in the 16-story, Emery Roth-designed building overlooking the American Museum of Natural History, near Central Park West.

The home opens to dual living rooms, which flow into a large eat-in kitchen and dining room. Two bedroom wings each come with a dressing area, ensuite baths and an additional bedroom, which can be used as an office.

The apartment’s south-facing windows offer views of Central Park, the museum and the Midtown skyline.

Taconic is known for its involvement in major city projects such as Essex Crossing on the Lower East Side and the redevelopment of the American Bank Note Company Printing Plant in Hunts Point, the Bronx, as well as the 2010 sale of 111 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea to Google. The company was formed in 1998 by Bendit and Paul Pariser.

Last year, Taconic partnered with Nuveen Real Estate to buy an Upper East Side office building for $70 million before entering the industrial market with a $55 million deal for a logistics center in Morristown, New Jersey. In May, Taconic teamed up with Nuveen and North American Properties to buy the 74-acre Ridge Hill shopping center in Yonkers for $220 million, which the partners plan to partially redevelop.

Bendit declined to comment. Bingham could not be reached for comment.