The history of the Upper West Side’s 12,000-square-foot Schinasi Mansion is equal parts illustrious and disappointing. Illustrious: Carnegie Hall architect William Tuthill designed the 1909 palace for a “Turkish tobacco baron,” there are 3,400 square feet of outdoor space and a secret tunnel in the basement, and the property was a set for a Woody Allen film, Bullets Over Broadway. Disappointing: after asking a high of $31 million in 2006, the property has now sold for $14 million, according to the Journal. The last asking price was below that, at $13.5 million, (and was apparently one of several all-cash offers) but the PriceChopper Hall of Fame will still be inducting this property.
The buyer hasn’t been identified by name, but the listing broker tells the Journal the home’s new owner is “a New York businessman who used to live abroad.” He’ll be doing a lot of work on the property, since the prior owners, who spent $325,000 for the house in 1979, didn’t use it as their primary residence. Once the renovation’s done, maybe the buyer will host another pizza party.
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http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/08/30/uws_mansion_that_once_asked_31m_sells_finally_for_14m.php