Former NBA owner lists Gramercy Park penthouse for $49M

Leslie Alexander making second attempt to sell

Leslie Alexander, 18 Gramercy Park South (Getty, Douglas Elliman)
Leslie Alexander, 18 Gramercy Park South (Getty, Douglas Elliman)

Leslie Alexander is on a selling spree in New York. Or a listing spree, at least.

The former NBA team owner put his Gramercy Park penthouse on the market on the heels of doing the same with two North Fork properties.

Five years after selling the Houston Rockets, Alexander listed his apartment at 18 Gramercy Park South for $48.8 million. The penthouse has been on and off the market since 2015, when Alexander asked $50 million for it. This is the first time it has been listed since 2018, though.

Alexander purchased the penthouse in 2013 for $42 million.

The 16-unit, 18-story building was designed by Stern and spearheaded by Zeckendorf Development, the team behind 15 Central Park West. Building amenities include a resident manager, doorman, two roof terraces, a club room, a spa and a fitness center.

Alexander’s 6,300-square-foot duplex includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and two half bathrooms, according to the listing. Four terraces designed by Robert A.M. Stern total about 1,900 square feet.

A private elevator leads to the unit. The first floor has a library/cocktail lounge, an eat-in chef’s kitchen and a staff room behind it.

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An elevator and grand staircase lead to the second floor, which has a wraparound terrace facing Gramercy Park. The floor has a wet bar for entertaining and a private sun deck with a heated infinity pool. There’s also an outdoor hot tub.

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A Douglas Elliman team including Raphael De Niro and James Flowers have the listing. De Niro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alexander is also unloading two large Long Island properties with development rights. The parcels, in Riverhead and Mattituck, are being marketed for a combined $6 million.

The 24-acre property in Riverhead has zoning to protect its farmland, but allows for low-density residential development. The property’s designation permits agricultural production sites, greenhouses, horse training facilities and a single-family home. A buyer could also build a bed-and-breakfast, school or golf course with a special permit.

The 68-acre property in Mattituck only has four acres of development rights, as the rest has been sold to the town of Southold. Alexander paid a combined $2.4 million for the properties in separate deals more than two decades ago.

The Rockets won two NBA championships during Alexander’s ownership, which lasted from 1993 to 2017. He sold the team to businessman Tillman Fertitta in 2017 for $2.2 billion.