Big Ticket: A Townhouse on a Prime Block for $14,990,000
A stately limestone and white brick townhouse on a prime block on the Upper East Side, with a filigree wrought-iron fence guarding two sunken gardens in the front and with a paved garden in the back, sold for $14,990,000 and was the most expensive sale of the week, according to city records.
The monthly taxes on the 8,165-square-foot residence, 59 East 82nd Street, near Madison Avenue, are $6,323. The most recent asking price was $15,800,000, though the 18-foot-wide house had been on the market for as much as $19,750,000 about two and a half years ago.
Carrie Chiang and Richard Phan of the Corcoran Group represented the seller, Christopher J. Heath, a partner and managing director of Optima Fund Management, a hedge fund with offices in Midtown, as well as in London and Bermuda. Mr. Heath, who bought the house in 2008 for $12 million, was reported to be one of Britain’s highest paid executives in the late 1980s, amassing a fortune from investments in Japan.
Steve Soleimani of Corcoran brought the buyer, whose identity was shielded by the limited liability company Hilldeer International.
The fully renovated townhouse, with four full and three half baths as well as five working fireplaces, has a Venetian plaster vestibule and a crema marfil marble entry hall on the first level, according to the listing. The living room, dining room and kitchen are on the parlor floor, and five bedrooms, along with a library/study, are on the top floors. All are accessible via a wood-adorned staircase or an elevator. On what is described as the sixth floor is a south-facing solarium that opens to a roof terrace that offers cityscape views; there is also a media room with a kitchenette.
Across town, the runner-up last week, at $12,000,000, was the sale of a three-bedroom three-and-a-half-bath duplex apartment, No. 18A, at the Baccarat Hotel and Residences, at 20 West 53rd Street, the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed glass condominium, with interiors by Tony Ingrao, opposite the Museum of Modern Art.
The buyer of the sponsor unit, according to city records, was James Hao, who came to the deal without a broker and paid the full asking price. Monthly carrying charges for the 3,005-square-foot unit are $12,268, according to the listing with the Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group.
The apartment, which features a 969-square-foot terrace, has a loftlike feel with 22-foot ceilings, along with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Copyright © 2015 The New York Times Company. Reprinted with Permission. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times.
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