Higher and Higher: Hitting the top of the market

Photo 1: The Mark $60 million

A 26-foot ceiling is tough to come by. So is a recently restored prewar condo in a building with a Frederic Fekkai salon and a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant. Only one apartment has both: the six-bedroom, 7 1/2-bathroom, 9,799-square-foot penthouse at the 42-story Mark at 25 E. 77th St. There’s a big entertaining space (large enough to chuck a football around), a double-sided fireplace, twin Sub-Zeros in the kitchen, walk-in closets and his-and-hers bathrooms (with a steam room). But the best feature is the 2,400-square-foot roof deck. Step outside and feel the Carlyle, Central Park and the rest of the city make its mark. Agent: Lydia Sussek, The Corcoran Group, 212-893-1434

Photo 2: SKY LOFTS: $48 million

 We all recognize that your standard super-luxe penthouse should have a lot of square footage. And there’s no question that the $48 million duplex at TriBeCa’s Sky Lofts has plenty of that — a good 7,500 square feet of interior space. Not bad. But as with any trophy apartment of this caliber, it is also necessary to have outdoor space. And in this sense, the ninth- and 10th-floor unit at 145 Hudson St. leaves its competitors in the dust: There’s 4,500 square feet of private outdoor space, including a wraparound terrace with panoramic views of Manhattan. (The roof also has a huge insulated glass enclosure.) Inside the apartment (in a 1929 Art Deco conversion), you’ll find 18-foot ceilings, woodburning fireplaces, a steel-and-glass elliptical staircase, a Jacuzzi and an adjustable Lutron light and shade system. Agents: Heather McDonough and Henry Hershkowitz, Prudential Douglas Elliman, 212-321-7164 and 212-321-7156 and Darren Kearns and Davina Rosenbaum, The Corcoran Group, 212-941-2588 and 212-941-2645

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Last year, the New York City real estate market set a previously unthinkable record: Sandy Weill’s 6,744-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-plus bathroom condo at 15 Central Park West sold for $88 million, roughly $13,000 per square foot.

But in this ever-frothy real estate market, it was a record that wasn’t meant to last. “There’s never been another year like 2012 when it comes to $50 million-plus listings and sales,” says Kelly Mack, president of Corcoran Sunshine.

In fact, last year’s $50 million listing is today’s $95 million listing. As of now, there are three NYC apartments on the market for that price, all on the southern edge of Central Park.

In the same building as the Weill sale, Emily Beare of Core has listed a $95 million, 6,000-square-foot apartment currently in mid-renovation.

Across the park at the Sherry-Netherland, a full-floor seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom co-op, almost 8,000 square feet, is on the market for $95 million. The Fifth Avenue pad has 2,000 square feet of terraces — and some of the best Central Park views.

At 50 Central Park South, Halstead Property is listing a three-bedroom duplex condo that boasts a ballroom. Price tag: $95 million.

But apartments don’t need to be on Central Park to demand these prices. (Consider the $100 million CitySpire listing a few blocks away.) Nor do they even need to be finished.

Such is the case at One57, the new 90-story Extell Development condo/hotel, where some units are under contract for upwards of $90 million (move-ins are expected next year). Remaining units start at $16.75 million.

Full-floor units start at $53 million. “We did about $300 million in sales over the summer,” says Dan Tubb, director of sales for One57.

For those who want a finished product with all the furnishings thrown in, the Heritage at Trump Place, on Riverside Boulevard, has a mammoth, 14,547-square-foot, eight-bedroom, 15-bathroom triplex condo for $75 million. A fountain, jellyfish tank and ventilated cigar room are included. “It’s like James Bond,” says Kevin Sneddon, senior vice president for Trump sales and leasing. “It’s eight different apartments — six that were combined, and a three-bedroom guest suite.”

Even downtown has gotten in on the act. Leonard Steinberg and Herve Senequier of Prudential Douglas Elliman are marketing a TriBeCa townhouse for $49.5 million.

“These kinds of properties didn’t necessarily exist” a decade ago, says Shaun Osher, CEO of Core, which in addition to the 15 CPW unit has a $50 million penthouse at Walker Tower in Chelsea. “Developers started building these beautiful high-end buildings. All of the top sales, or most of them, [have been] in new developments.”

All this prompts the question: What makes an apartment worth $50 million or more?

“In my opinion, it’s irreplaceability,” says Dolly Lenz, vice chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman, who’s representing the $95 million unit at the Sherry-Netherland. “When you’ve got eight like it, it doesn’t have that irreplaceability value.”

“It’s for the buyer who wants everything — and doesn’t want to sacrifice anything,” Osher says. “Most real estate has one aspect that’s a sacrifice. [The $50 million-plus] checks all the boxes. They have outdoor space, light, amenities, views.”

But the only way to know what’s worth $50 to $100 million is to find out for ourselves. Here’s the absolute top of the market.