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Residential
New York

Trump Tower condo shielded from ex-wife up for auction

Art dealer Frederic Bouin kept Unit 34EF out of spouse's reach

Frederic Bouin in front of 721 Fifth Avenue (Getty Images, Google Maps, iStock/Photo Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)
Frederic Bouin in front of 721 Fifth Avenue (Getty Images, Google Maps, iStock/Photo Illustration by Steven Dilakian for The Real Deal)

Even in a hot market, Manhattan homes asking $4 million or more take an average of two years to go into contract. But soon, a luxury condo in Trump Tower could sell in two minutes.

Unit 34ER, a 2,200-square-foot apartment, will be auctioned June 8. No minimum bid is disclosed, but a previous listing asked $7.5 million. The contract price will be the winning bid plus a 5 percent “buyer’s premium.”

The residence, at 721 Fifth Avenue, belongs to Frederic Bouin, an art dealer who bought it in 1990 and kept the property despite a nasty divorce.

In 2018, his now ex-wife, Palm Beach socialite Gina DiSabatino, won a $6.2 million divorce judgment in Florida, but just two days after she served Bouin with the papers, he transferred the Trump Tower apartment, along with a Central Park South pad and an East 93rd Street unit, to a series of LLCs for just $10 apiece, the New York Post reported.

DiSabatino claims Bouin made the sales for “the express purpose of defrauding [her] and frustrating her ability to recoup the monies awarded to her,” the Post reported.

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A lawyer for Bouin told the Post that he transferred the properties for liability reasons.

The unit has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. It features an open floor plan with floor-to-ceiling windows that offer panoramic views of Central Park, the Plaza Hotel and Fifth Avenue.

Other features include Brazilian mahogany floors, custom-built cabinetry from Italy, an extended galley kitchen designed by Boffi, leather padded doors, walk-in closets, a bidet and a steam shower.

Amenities in the building include a gym, community recreational facility and parking.

The unit was listed by Bond New York in July 2021 for $7.5 million, but was pulled off the market in March after 270 days, according to the StreetEasy listing.

Maltz Auctions is overseeing the bidding. Bouin did not respond to requests for comment.

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AuctionsLuxury Real Estate