Striking 'uptown loft' at the Sherry-Netherland wants $32M

The most expensive apartment that’s currently for sale at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel is its staid penthouse, asking $78 million. But if the scandal that its owner is currently embroiled in leads to that apartment being taken off the market, then the venerable hotel’s most expensive listing will be this pad: the so-called “mezzanine,” which just hit the market asking $32 million.

It’s not the first time that the owner of the apartment—who, from the looks of it, is a huge Modern art fan (the place is graced with works by Chuck Close and Alex Katz, among others)—has tried selling the place. It was first listed back in 2015 for $42.5 million, and left the market after getting a slight price chop to $35 million.

Douglas Elliman.

Aside from the price, little else at the apartment has changed. (Even the broker, Sabrina Saltiel of Douglas Elliman, is the same.) It’s located in the hotel’s former mezzanine, so views aren’t part of the selling point; instead, the listing points out its “outstanding 100 feet of frontage along Fifth Avenue and 150 feet along 59th Street” that “offers a one of a kind connection between its inhabitants and the city beyond.” (That’s one way to spin it.)

It also received a major overhaul in 2007, courtesy acclaimed interior designer Mica Ertegun and architect Bernard Wharton; their process inspired a 2008 Architectural Digest feature, in which the architects described the inspiration for the loft thusly: “The space should remain open, as if it were a loft in SoHo or Tribeca rather than an apartment in the tradition-bound Sherry-Netherland.”

Mission accomplished there: While the space is obviously quite traditional, it has loft-like elements, such as wide open living spaces (broken up with columns, because of course) and huge windows—which, in this case, overlook the southeastern corner of Central Park. Along with its five bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, the apartment comes with an embarrassment of perks, including a 2,000-square-foot master suite, a wine cellar, a home theater, a 58-foot “gallery” (gotta put that art somewhere!), its own private elevator, and a library with a wet bar and a cigar room.

• Listing: 781 Fifth Avenue MEZZ [Douglas Elliman]