Joan Rivers’ Legendary Upper East Side Penthouse Is on the Market for $28M
Joan Rivers’ Upper East Side triplex penthouse, where she lived for 25 years, is opulent to say the least, with a huge Louis XIV-inspired ballroom, a bordello-esque master bedroom and gilded details galore. And we wouldn’t expect any less from the late, great comedienne, who once said of her lavish Spencer Condominium apartment at 1 East 62nd Street, “It’s what Marie Antoinette would have done, if she had money,” and described the décor as “Louis XIV meets Fred and Ginger.”
After Rivers’ daughter Melissa inherited her mother’s apartment in October, it’s now officially hit the market for $28 million, reports the Daily News.
The three-story penthouse occupies 5,100 square feet, which includes four bedrooms, five fireplaces and gilded antique boisserie paneling and columns. It’s certainly the entertaining spaces, the Louis XIV-inspired ballroom and an adjoining music room, that steal the show, though. They boast soaring 23-foot ceilings and crystal chandeliers and can accommodate up to 125 people, which came in handy when Rivers hosted her annual Thanksgiving extravaganza.
For more intimate gatherings is the dining room, where three French doors open to a south-facing terrace. The nearby wood-paneled library has impressive views of the Manhattan skyline and Central Park, and there’s not one, but two, kitchens.
The second floor features a mezzanine overlooking the music room and ballroom. It leads to the master suite, which opens to its own private terrace. There’s also a separate two-bedroom guest wing on this floor.
The Spencer Condominium is a 42-foot-wide, seven-story Gilded Age mansion designed in 1904 by Horace Trumbauer for millionaire John Drexel. It was converted to condos in the 1930s; Rivers was the head of the condo board during her residency. In 2009, she listed the apartment for $25 million, but said it was only to appease her business manager. It went back on the market in 2013 for $29.5 million, and we don’t think Melissa will have any trouble getting the current asking amount for the impressive home.
[Listing: 1 East 62nd Street, PH by Leighton Candler of the Corcoran Group]
[1 East 62nd Street on CityRealty]
[Via NYDN]
Photos via the Corcoran Group
