Celebrity condominium sold

Real Estate Weekly, Oct 16, 2002

A sprawling 43rd-floor condo at The Galleria, 117 East 57th St., the home of the late Broadway producer David Merrick, has sold after being on the market since October 2000. The sale comes after a parade of notables had looked the property over.

The buyer, a commercial real estate executive from out of town, paid about $3 million for the apartment, said Lisa Wong, broker with Insignia Douglas Elliman and exclusive agent for the property. The four-bedroom, 4.5-bath residence features, in addition to such standard amenities as a gourmet kitchen, a double-size solarium/winter garden, three-seat jacuzzi, steam massage and sauna, and 14- and 18-karat gold bathroom fixtures. It was combined from two corner apartments and has spectacular views south, east and west over the city.

"The apartment has been the object of considerable curiosity, partly because of David Merrick's reputation, and we had several offers during the past year before finally closing with this buyer," commented Wong, whose clients have included such celebrities as Jennifer Lopez. "Among the personalities who have looked the condo over are Harrison Ford and Mike Piazza. The Argentine and Chinese governments also inspected it."