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Bette Midler’s sprawling Fifth Avenue penthouse lists for $50M

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The famed singer, songwriter, and actress is moving on from her enormous home with Central Park views

By Amy Plitt
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A large staircase in a room with hardwood floors.
A sweeping staircase connects all three levels of Bette Midler’s Upper East Side penthouse.
Photographs courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

The multihyphenate entertainer Bette Midler—actress-singer-songwriter-producer-parks enthusiast—is parting ways with the Upper East Side penthouse that she and her family have called home for more than 20 years.

And given the place’s size—7,000 square feet, with an additional 3,000 square feet of outdoor space—and pedigree, it’s asking a pretty penny. The triplex penthouse, situated at the top of the Emery Roth-designed 1125 Fifth Avenue, is going for $50 million, a figure that puts it on the list of the most expensive homes for sale in NYC right now.

Midler and her husband, performance artist Martin von Haselberg, confirmed to the New York Times that now that their daughter no longer lives with them, they’re ready to pare down and find a smaller space (albeit one that’s still in Manhattan, of course).

“It’s time for another family to enjoy it,” Midler told the Times.

The home, which Midler likened to “a country house in the city,” was renovated by Frederick Fisher and Partners and occupies the building’s 15, 16th, and 17th floors. Each level of the apartment has a different use: Its five bedrooms are on the lowest level, including a master suite with a huge dressing room and en-suite bathroom. In the middle, there’s an eat-in kitchen and dining room, as well as a large living room with huge windows and Central Park views. And the uppermost floor is mostly devoted to a terrace, although there is a lovely library nook with built-in bookshelves.

The apartment has another enviable perk: A postcard-worthy view of the Central Park reservoir, which is directly across Fifth Avenue from the building. There’s a wraparound terrace on the 16th floor, and an expansive one on the 17th floor—perfect for taking in those views.

Midler’s stunning apartment is listed with John Burger of Brown Harris Stevens, and maintenance charges come to $25,516.

A living room with a couch, several sitting chairs, a large fireplace, and large windows. Doors lead onto an outdoor terrace.
The living room has a large fireplace, and leads directly onto the wraparound terrace.
Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens
Two doors lead into a hallway with a white bench. There are paintings on the walls. A staircase leads to an upper level of an apartment.
The apartment’s entrance on the building’s 15th floor leads to a staircase to the other levels.
A library with a fireplace, built-in bookshelves that are filled with books, and large windows. A piano is against one wall.
A library on the apartment’s uppermost floor has built-in bookshelves and a fireplace.
A kitchen with a large center island that is topped with a wooden slab. A large stainless steel hood hangs over the island. The counters and cabinets are white, and a set of doors leads to an outdoor space with two chairs.
The eat-in kitchen has a cozy feel, and double doors that lead onto a wraparound terrace.
A bedroom with three large windows, two sitting chairs, and several paintings on the walls.
One of the bedrooms, with large windows and hardwood floors.
A terrace overlooks a park with a large reservoir. Tall buildings are visible in the distance.
A terrace has incredible views of the Manhattan skyline and the Central Park reservoir.
Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens
A floorplan for a three-level penthouse apartment.

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