An Upper East Side co-op — known for its renowned list of buyers like journalist Barbara Walters and Disney president Michael Ovitz — snagged the priciest contract signed in Manhattan last week.
The 14th floor of 944 Fifth Avenue last asked just under $29 million, down from $35 million when it hit the market in May, according to Olshan Realty’s weekly report. The pending deal is the most expensive of 37 inked in the borough for homes asking $4 million or more between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22, which was six more than the previous period.
The full-floor apartment spans roughly 5,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and six bathrooms. It also has views of Central Park, a private landing and wood-burning fireplaces.
Amenities in the building, designed in 1925 and converted to a co-op in 1953, include a gym and resident manager. The board allows buyers to finance half of their purchase with a mortgage and to use their apartments as pieds-a-terre.
Douglas Elliman’s Michelle Larsen had the listing.
Earlier this year, an entity linked to Ovitz and his longtime partner, Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon, paid $15 million for an apartment at the building that previously belonged to Barbara Walters. Walters lived in the co-op for 30 years before she died in December 2022.
Art dealer Robert Mnuchin also sold an apartment in the co-op two years prior. RFR Realty principal Michael Fuchs paid $18 million for the full-floor unit after Mnuchin lowered the asking price from $25 million.
The second priciest home to land a signed contract was a unit at Extell Development’s Central Park Tower, with an asking price of $16 million. The condo spans 3,200 square feet and has three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Unit 60W at 217 West 57th Street, which initially asked roughly $19 million when sales launched in 2018, also features a formal foyer, floor-to-ceiling windows and a walk-in closet.
Amenities at the Billionaires’ Row tower, billed as the tallest residential building in the world, include indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and cigar lounge.
The supertall snagged one of the most expensive deals this year when a penthouse closed for $117 million in June.
Of the 37 properties, 22 were condos, 11 were co-ops and four were townhouses.
The homes’ combined asking price was $271 million, which works out to an average price of $7.3 million and a median of $5.5 million. The typical home spent more than 660 days on the market and was discounted 10 percent from the original listing price.