The late financier and convicted sex offender’s Upper East Side home originally asked $88 million.
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The New York City townhouse of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is in contract to sell for roughly US$50 million, according to two people familiar with the transaction. If the deal closes, the townhouse would be among the most expensive homes to sell in New York over the past year.
The property had been on the market for just seven months, a reasonably quick turnaround for a townhouse with such a high-price tag, especially given the property’s connection to Mr Epstein, these people said. However, it sold at a significant discount to its original asking price; it came on the market for $88 million in July, and the price was later lowered to $65 million.
The property was the most valuable of Mr Epstein’s extensive property portfolio, which also included homes in Paris, New Mexico and Florida. Mr Epstein’s home in Palm Beach is in contract to sell to developer Todd Michael Glaser for an undisclosed sum, The Wall Street Journal reported in November, though the deal hasn’t yet closed.
Listed by Adam Modlin of Modlin Group, the Neoclassical Upper East Side townhouse dates to the 1930s, when it was commissioned by Herbert N. Straus, an heir to the Macy’s department store fortune. It was later used as a school and was formerly owned by Leslie Wexner, the billionaire retail tycoon and a onetime close associate of Mr Epstein.
Mr Epstein paid $20 million for it in 1998, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The house spans about 28,000 square feet across seven floors and has oak entry doors, imported French limestone with carvings, sculptural figures and ornamental ironwork.
Mr Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019, before he could stand trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The proceeds of the sale are slated to go to his estate, which has created a compensation fund to adjudicate claims from Mr Epstein’s alleged victims.
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The desert residence belonged to the singer, who also served as mayor of the California city, for more than a decade.
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Sonny Bono’s former estate, a piece of local history in Palm Springs, California, has come up for sale.
The desert residence, on the market for $7.49 million, was home to the singer, songwriter, congressman and Palm Springs mayor from 1986 until his death in 1998, records show.
“Opportunities like this simply do not come around often,” said listing agent Louise Hampton with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California, who brought the home to the market last month.
“A hillside estate of this size, with this level of privacy and this historical connection stands among the most compelling offerings in today’s desert market.”
Bono was perhaps most famously the other half of singing duo Sonny & Cher, but also served as the mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992, and as the U.S. representative for California’s 44th district from 1995 until he died in a skiing accident in 1998 at the age of 62.
Located in the city’s Mesa neighbourhood on a hillside parcel, the colourful seven-bedroom property combines Mid-Century Modern design with Italian influences across its almost 9,000 square feet and multiple structures.
The house last changed hands in 2021 for $4.35 million. The sellers couldn’t be reached for comment.
There’s a great room, a formal dining area with a rock fireplace, a chef’s kitchen with two wine fridges.
The seven bedrooms include a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a “spa-style” bathroom with a soaking tub and steam shower, according to the listing. Several of the home’s guest suites include private patios or separate entrances.
Outside, there are lawns, olive trees, date palms and cacti alongside terraces, a new travertine pool deck, a pool, a tennis court and an oversize motor court with space for more than a dozen vehicles.
