Pierre Hotel Penthouse

The Pierre; its mansard roof famously inspired by the architecture of a french chateau. When it opened in October of 1930 the penthouse was a New York hot spot, a members only club with the interior design inspired by a Zeppelin air ship.  That is probably the last time it was ‘cool’.

Back in the harsh reality of the Depression New York socialites sipped champagne and were entertained by the best live bands of the day.  Shep Fields and the Ripping Rhythm Orchestra made regular appearances.

In the movies we make believe that Carrie and Big live in palatial New York penthouses such as the one at the Pierre Hotel.  In reality the penthouse is owned by Mr Pincus.

According to a lawsuit filed by Mr Pincus’s sons, this billionaire was quite frugal, until he fell into the clutches of Princess Firyal of Jordan.  Allegedly it was at her behest that he bought the penthouse in 2006 for 50 million dollars.  She is described in the suit as a woman ‘with a long history of dating wealthy men’, what ever that means.  We do know that they spent 17 million dollars decorating their seven thousand square foot triplex love nest with all kinds of tchotchkes, including a pair of Chinese pottery horses that set them back over $750,000.

Alas the apartment is back on the market for a reduced price of 35 million.  Yes it is a victim of the new market reality.  The buyer will need to pay all cash, no mortgages allowed at the Pierre Hotel, and be able to afford the half million a year in maintenance fees.  An interesting twist is that if the apartment sells before Mr Pincus dies, the proceeds will go to charity.  If he happens to pass away before the sale, the apartment belongs to Princess Firyal.  Me thinks it might be a little difficult for brokers to get an appointment to show their clients.

This is such a great story it makes me wish Dominic Dunne was still alive to write a delicious piece  in Vanity Fair.  It would be great tribute  if some of his best articles were republished in book form. He is missed.

This entry was filed under Buildings, Classic and tagged with dominic dunne, Pincus, Princess Firyal, The Pierre Hotel; Shep Fields;sex in the city. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.