A publicity-shy British financier plans to pay $45 million in cash for a 12,000-square-foot perch in AOL Time Warner's intended new home at the edge of Central Park, the most expensive apartment sale in Manhattan history.
The mystery banker has put down a non-refundable $5 million deposit for the entire 76th floor of the south tower at the two-tower structure soaring 80 stories above Columbus Circle at the park's southwest corner.
''It's great for the economy and shows how strong New York is,'' says veteran developer Donald Trump.
Real estate brokers hope the deal will revive demand for luxury and super-luxury apartments and dispel lingering high-rise security worries after the 9/11 attacks. Some 150 Manhattan apartments priced $10 million or more are on the market -- a third more than a year ago -- and take an average of a year to sell.
''It is not surprising we are seeing more buyers from abroad thanks to a weakening dollar,'' adds broker to the stars Kathy Sloane, who recently sold Robert Redford's $10 million Fifth Avenue penthouse.
The full-floor 76th-story apartment will be combined with a 3,600-square-foot space on the 77th floor to create several double-height rooms. A 2,000-square-foot wrap-around terrace affords views of the Hudson River on the west, the East River and all of Central Park.
The price does not even include the interior work, which could cost an additional $15 million for walls and fittings before the apartment is ready to occupy in October.
''The luxury market has recently been bouncing back,'' says broker Roger Erickson, who recently sold Apple founder Steve Jobs (news - web sites)' Central Park West apartment for $14.9 million. ''But $45 million, that's beyond wow.''
The deal shatters the previous record set three years ago when corporate raider Saul Steinberg sold his 17,000-square-foot Park Avenue apartment to buyout king Stephen Schwartzman for $37 million.
Brokers on the sale dismissed rumors that the buyer was an aging British rock star.
The mystery banker has put down a non-refundable $5 million deposit for the entire 76th floor of the south tower at the two-tower structure soaring 80 stories above Columbus Circle at the park's southwest corner.
''It's great for the economy and shows how strong New York is,'' says veteran developer Donald Trump.
Real estate brokers hope the deal will revive demand for luxury and super-luxury apartments and dispel lingering high-rise security worries after the 9/11 attacks. Some 150 Manhattan apartments priced $10 million or more are on the market -- a third more than a year ago -- and take an average of a year to sell.
''It is not surprising we are seeing more buyers from abroad thanks to a weakening dollar,'' adds broker to the stars Kathy Sloane, who recently sold Robert Redford's $10 million Fifth Avenue penthouse.
The full-floor 76th-story apartment will be combined with a 3,600-square-foot space on the 77th floor to create several double-height rooms. A 2,000-square-foot wrap-around terrace affords views of the Hudson River on the west, the East River and all of Central Park.
The price does not even include the interior work, which could cost an additional $15 million for walls and fittings before the apartment is ready to occupy in October.
''The luxury market has recently been bouncing back,'' says broker Roger Erickson, who recently sold Apple founder Steve Jobs (news - web sites)' Central Park West apartment for $14.9 million. ''But $45 million, that's beyond wow.''
The deal shatters the previous record set three years ago when corporate raider Saul Steinberg sold his 17,000-square-foot Park Avenue apartment to buyout king Stephen Schwartzman for $37 million.
Brokers on the sale dismissed rumors that the buyer was an aging British rock star.
