The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is closing on three apartments at 212 Fifth Avenue, next to Madison Square Park. Bezos is scooping up a penthouse and two units that are right under it for approximately $80 million, though the precise numbers haven’t been made public yet. Combined, the apartments add up to over 17,000 square feet. The deal is reportedly the largest to ever close in New York south of 42nd Street, and the second largest deal of the year, second to Ken Griffin’s now-infamous $240 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South.
As CityRealty reported, the penthouse was initially on the market for $73.8 million in 2017 before being reduced to $58 million earlier this year. The sprawling unit is spread over three floors and boasts a seven-room master suite. There’s plenty of outdoor space as well, with a nearly 5,000 square-foot terrace on the second floor in addition to a smaller roof terrace with views of the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, and the World Trade Center. The other two units sold for a collective $28.45 million, according to sources close to the deal.
212 Fifth Avenue dates back to 1913 when it got its start as a neo-Gothic office building designed by Schwartz & Gross. More than 100 years later, Madison Equities helmed a conversion of the building to over 50 condominiums, through a partnership that also involved Madison Equities, Building and Land Technology, and Thor Equities. Led by Helpern Architects, the redesign kept many of the historic details of the facade intact and created decadent residences inside.
The deal comes several months after Amazon announced it would no longer be building its second headquarters in Long Island City and amid his divorce from wife MacKenzie Bezos. Bezos has reportedly been searching for a New York home for a while, and considered the penthouse at the XI, the Bjarke Ingels Group condo in West Chelsea. Reports also said that he was recently checking out apartments at 220 Central Park South (where the Griffin sale occurred). Previously, Bezos lived with his wife at 25 Central Park West. It’s unclear if either of them is residing in the Upper West Side building.
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