An Upper East Side co-op – known for its renowned list of buyers such as journalist Barbara Walters and Disney President Michael Ovitz – has won the most expensive contract signed in Manhattan last week.
According to Olshan Realty’s weekly report, the 14th floor of 944 Fifth Avenue last asked just under $29 million, down from $35 million when it hit the market in May. The current deal is the most expensive of 37 struck in the borough for homes asking $4 million or more between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22, which was six more than the previous period.
The full-floor apartment spans approximately 5,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and six bathrooms. It also offers views of Central Park, a private landing and fireplaces.
Amenities in the building, designed in 1925 and converted to a co-op in 1953, include a gym and a resident manager. The board offers buyers the opportunity to finance half of their purchase with a mortgage and use their apartments as pieds-a-terre.
Michelle Larsen of Douglas Elliman had the entry.
Earlier this year, an entity tied to Ovitz and his longtime partner, Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon, paid $15 million for an apartment in the building that previously belonged to Barbara Walters. Walters lived in the co-op for 30 years before she passed away in December 2022.
Art dealer Robert Mnuchin also sold an apartment in the cooperative two years earlier. RFR Realty director Michael Fuchs paid $18 million for the entire floor after Mnuchin lowered the asking price from $25 million.
The second most expensive home to receive a signed contract was a unit in Extell Development’s Central Park Tower, with an asking price of $16 million. The apartment spans 3,200 square feet and has three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Unit 60W at 217 West 57th Street, which initially asked about $19 million when sales launched in 2018, also features a formal foyer, floor-to-ceiling windows and a walk-in closet.
Amenities at the Billionaires’ Row tower, billed as the tallest residential building in the world, include indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and a cigar lounge.
The supertall landed one of the most expensive deals this year when a penthouse closed for $117 million in June.
Of the 37 properties, 22 were condos, 11 were co-ops and four were townhouses.
The combined asking price of the homes was $271 million, for an average price of $7.3 million and a median of $5.5 million. The typical home sat on the market for more than 660 days and received a 10 percent discount from the original sales price.
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