The three-bedroom co-op apartment at the Dakota, on Central Park West,
that Lauren Bacall called home for more than 50 years was sold by her
estate for $21 million. Ms. Bacall died at the age of 89 in August 2014.
11/27/15 Vivian Marino/The New York Times
The Dakota. Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
The grand apartment at the landmark Dakota that Lauren Bacall called home for more than half a century, filling its nine commodious rooms with an eclectic mix of artwork, antiques and countless mementos, many of them from her fabled Hollywood career, sold for $21,000,000 and was the most expensive closed sale of the week, according to city records.
The three-bedroom three-and-a-half-bath co-op unit, No. 43, at 1 West 72nd Street, on Central Park West, had been on the market since November 2014, three months after Ms. Bacall's death at the age of 89. It was initially listed for $26 million, then reduced last spring to $23.5 million; monthly maintenance is around $13,595.
Ms. Bacall at the Dakota in 1965.
Ronald N. Beck, a managing director of the hedge fund Oaktree Capital Management, and his wife, Cynthia Lewis Beck, were the buyers. They worked directly with the listing broker, Rebecca I. Edwardson of Warburg Realty, which represented Ms. Bacall's estate.
"Everybody who came to see the apartment was fascinated with all the prewar details," Ms. Edwardson said, "the 13-foot ceilings and the windows that are the size of new-development windows, which is rare in a prewar building. This apartment has a lot of common space rather than a huge room count."
And the apartment exudes classic Old World charm. The 4,000-square-foot residence is entered through a private mahogany-trimmed vestibule that yields to an 18-foot foyer, with one of five wood-burning fireplaces, and a 70-foot-long gallery that connects to the great room, a stately dining room and library. Many of the original 19th-century architectural flourishes remain, including the pocket doors in the library, plaster molding, hardwood floors and wood trim throughout.
The 18-foot entry foyer connects to a 70-foot gallery. Original hardwood
floors can be found throughout the apartment, along with other prewar
architectural . Warburg Realty
The 29-by-24-foot great room faces Central Park. Warburg Realty
The stately dining room features doors that lead to the library, along with wainscoting, a fireplace and a corner china closet. Warburg Realty
Just outside the wood-trimmed library is a Juliet balcony that provides Central Park views. The room's original pocket doors remain. Warburg Realty
The home's 19-by-22 master suite includes two walk-in closets, and each of the two other bedrooms has an en-suite bath. Warburg Realty
One of five working wood-burning fireplaces, this one is in the entry foyer. Warburg Realty
The views from this fourth-floor apartment are also exceptional, Ms. Edwardson said, especially from the library, which leads to a Juliet balcony that looks out over the treetops of Central Park. The unit has about 100 feet of Central Park frontage, giving about half the unit's space impressive park views.
Ms. Bacall, whose acting career spanned six decades and included an honorary Academy Award and two Tonys, moved into her apartment at the Dakota, an 1884 German Renaissance-style building with a long list of celebrity residents, with her second husband, Jason Robards, in 1961. The price was reportedly well under $100,000.