The Week in Review

1. Apartment Prices Plummet in City

Apartments in prime Manhattan neighborhoods are selling for less than their purchase prices, The New York Sun reported, despite repeated assertions from industry insiders over the past several months that the Manhattan real estate market is impervious to the nationwide housing slowdown. Among the apartments selling for a loss is a unit at 80 John St., in the financial district, which recently sold for $590,000 after a $720,000 selling price was listed in January. At 515 West End Ave., on the Upper West Side, an apartment recently sold for $2.1 million — $50,000 less than its 2005 purchase price.

2. 'Zoolander' Actor Buys Home

The actor Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, paid $10 million for a co-op on Riverside Drive in the West 80s, the New York Observer reported. Mr. Stiller's parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, also live in the building. Mr. Stiller purchased the apartment from Ann Zabar, whose family owns a legendary Upper West Side market.

3. Developer Sells Share in Former Times Building

Africa Israel Investments Ltd. is selling half of its equity stake in the former New York Times Building for $50 million to an unnamed buyer, who also is assuming half of the building's $720 million in debt, Crain's New York Business reported. Last year, Africa Israel paid $525 million for the 16-story office building at 229 W. 43rd St., which once housed the paper's presses, reporters, and executives. At the time, the Israel-based company said it was spending $200 million to transform the building into a top-of-the-line office property with high-end retail space. The building is expected to be ready by next month but has not yet signed any tenants. Tishman Speyer, the previous owner, paid $175 million for it in 2004.

4. Crane Accidents Could Cost City Millions

New York City is facing more than $500 million in lawsuits related to two fatal crane crashes this year, the New York Daily News reported. The city counted 31 notices of claims — totaling up to $138 million — for damages, suffering, and wrongful death from the crane collapse on East 91st Street in May, papers filed with the city controller's office show. This included a $75 million claim filed by the estate of Ramadan Kurtag, one of two construction workers killed in the accident. The family of Donald Leo, the 20-year-old crane operator who died that day, filed a wrongful death claim for $20 million. There were several smaller claims, ranging from $2,700 to $12,000, made by nearby residents, and a $300,000 claim by a nearby Duane Reade for damages and loss of business, officials said. The deadline for filing a claim in the crash — the first step toward a suit — was Friday.

5. Heath Ledger's Apartment For Rent

The actor Heath Ledger's last known residence is officially for rent, the New York Post reported. The loft apartment in SoHo where the "Dark Knight" co-star died in January is listed with the Corcoran Group for $26,000 a month. Ledger began renting the fourth-floor unit at 419-421 Broome St. last September. It includes three bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, an office, a laundry room, a gourmet kitchen, and an 80-square-foot balcony. It also features 15-foot tin ceilings, exposed brick walls, and a wood-burning fireplace. Instead of a doorman, the five-unit cast-iron building uses an audio/visual intercom system with a key-locked elevator.