The light-filled three-bedroom, which belonged to philanthropist Gladys "Patsy" Pulitzer Preston, granddaughter of famous newspaper publisher Joseph, has been sold to Edward Shugrue III and his wife Greta. (Preston died this past October).

Preston may not have  writer, but even without a byline, her name appeared in print with some regularity over the years. Not only was she featured as one of the "World's Loveliest Sportswomen" in a 1952 edition of Sports Illustrated after catching a 1,230-pound Black Marlin while fishing off the coast of Peru, but a few years later she married Lewis Preston, who would go on to lead both J.P. Morgan Chase and the World Bank.

The Shugrues do not appear to have any noble journalistic lineage (Edward is the CEO of a company that manages commercial real estate assets), but it's just as well. For most journalists, the $5.8 million property was as unattainable as one of the coveted prizes handed out every year by Columbia.

The couple paid full asking price for the co-op, which was listed with Brown Harris Stevens brokers Ann Jeffrey and Daniel Kessler. Maybe they were won over by the circular gallery in the center of the apartment, "a welcoming dining library," as the listing puts it, or the living room with a wood-burning fireplace and pale blue wallpaper painted with branches and birds?

There's also a large, light-filled master bedroom with a separate dressing room and abundant closet space, according to the listing. Perhaps that's where Preston stashed her fishing trophies, which from what we can tell, were not displayed in the home.

kvelsey@observer.com