So the initial story is that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch spent $43 Million over the weekend to buy a 6850 square foot sponsor unit apartment located at One Madison on 22nd street in NYC. But we also found out that to round out his extravagant lifestyle, he decided to also purchase the entire 57th floor which brought his spend to a whopping $57.25 million. The $43 Million transaction was by far the most expensive spend of the week in real estate.
The building itself is 60 floors lined with bronze glass and was designed by CetraRuddy. For those of you who aren’t that familiar with Murdoch, he’s the man who owns News Corp. A company that also owns Warner Brothers, acquired the Wall Street Journal a few years back, as well as other multi-million dollar interests. Mr. Murdoch bought the swanky apartment for a great “deal” considering it was on the market for $50 million prior to his offer. The maintenance alone on the unit is nearly $18,000 a month. Yes, a month.
So what would a man like Rupert Murdoch do with a spot like this? Well. It’s five bedrooms. It’s got three floors. Five and a half bedrooms. There’s a 568 sq foot wrap around terrace on both the north and east sides. And just in case you’re wondering why the additional floor was purchased, “Mr. Murdoch’s enthusiastic appetite for panoramic views and demand for total privacy, but it lacked the abundance of square footage — 10,000 square feet — he deemed appropriate to house himself and his extensive art collection. To remedy that, in an accompanying and not-yet-closed transaction, he has also bought the entire 57th floor, just below, to combine with his penthouse.”
According to Dolly Lenz, Murdoch’s broker, this was the only apartment that met the billionaire’s requirements. Lenz said, “I was brought along to satisfy a complicated and extensive wish list, but from everything we looked at, this apartment was the star. There was an instant attraction, and it was also important to Mr. Murdoch that there is a very credible developer behind the property.”
Does anyone out there reading this article own an apartment in New York city? I remember the days of renting out a 300 sq foot studio for $1375 a month. Good ol’ Rupert is just chillin’ in his penthouse and entire floor on his spot. Someday Rupert. Someday I’ll be your neighbor.
Photo by Drew Angerer-Pool/Getty Images
