Pierre Penthouse Hits Market for $125M

Saturday, 30 Mar 2013 12:11 PM
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - manhattan
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - coucharea
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - staircase
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - terrace
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - library
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - nyc
Martin Zweig penthouse at 2 East 61st st at Pierre - building

Just yesterday SAC Capital’s Steven Cohen listed his One Beacon Court duplex at 151 East 58th street for a record-breaking price of $115 million. Who would expect that only 24 hours later another apartment would roll over that price and surpass it by $10 million? That apartment is the 16-room penthouse of the recently deceased financial expert, Martin Zweig, located at 2 East 61st street inside the famous Pierre hotel.

A look at the pictures would belie the fact that it’s not a mansion in the Hamptons or Hollywood Hills. The apartment— some might call it a piece of art—has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and completely encompasses the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd floors. It offers 20-foot-high arched cathedral windows, a fitness room inside the apartment, a Swedish Sauna, a private elevator, a grand, black-marble staircase, and fireplaces designed in the 17th century. The penthouse also contains an extensive art collection and distinctive furniture, but those are not included into the price. The ballroom, which is 43 x 75 feet, has French doors as well as a monolithic crystal chandelier.

Mr. Zweig purchased the penthouse in 1999 for $21.5 million, a price that 14 years ago set a new record. He tried to sell it for $70 million in 2005 but couldn’t reach a deal through the co-op board.

Elizabeth Lee Sample and Brenda S. Powers of Sothebys International Realty are the lucky brokers who exclusively represent the apartment now. They also represented Mr. Zweig back in 1999 when he bought the penthouse.