It was the private pool that launched a thousand jealous stares, before those people got a look at the maintenance bill. The $5.25 million penthouse at the Excelsior at 303 East 57th Street became an instant Curbed favorite with its skylit swimming hole in the, er, sky, and today the owner talks more about his personal blue lagoon in a Wall Street Journal real estate porn slideshow. It turns out that Windows 7 was the pool's idea!
David Unger bought the penthouse (he already lived in the building) for $3 million in 2000 as a gift to himself after selling his cable television company for $845 million. He calls the pool the "Paul Allen pool, because he kinda paid for it," but then again, Paul Allen is used to investing in things that give him little joy in return. After all, he owns the Seattle Seahawks. The 15' x 25' (and 9' deep!) pool "was an integral part" of Unger's commitment ceremony with his partner, which sounds a lot kinkier than it probably really was.
But the private pool is really just one interesting detail about this nearly 10,000-square-foot abode. Other revelations include the pool-side sauna that now serves as storage for bulk orders of Wee Wee Pads, and the design critique by Unger himself, who calls the place "a little dated."
· Manhattan Rarity: A Private Indoor Swim [WSJ]
· Listing: Penthouse With Private Pool [Sotheby's]
· Penthouse's Private Pool Almost as Shocking as Maintenance Bill [Curbed]
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