Barbara Digan Zweig, widow of financier Martin Zweig, has downgraded from the triplex penthouse atop the Pierre hotel to a more modest $12 million apartment elsewhere in the building, the New York Observer reported.
Martin Zweig’s estate put the penthouse on the market in March for $125 million, making it the most expensive apartment listing in New York City history. Elizabeth Sample, Brenda Powers and Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s International Realty have the listing.
The new pad, located at 2 East 61st Street, was picked up in an unlisted sale from the estate of Mary Ross, according to city records cited by the Observer. Ross, who was president of the New York Women’s Bar Association in the 1950s, reportedly passed away in the apartment.
The property is on the 24th floor, a step down from the 41st-through-43rd-floor penthouse, but still overlooks the tree line of Central Park.
As the Pierre does not accept financing, it appears Zweig paid the full $12 million price tag in cash. Meanwhile, she’s still responsible for the $47,000-per-month penthouse maintenance fee while she waits for it to sell, a sum that keeps the electricity and two-person housekeeping staff going. [NYO] — Julie Strickland