Gonda! Aviation Entrepreneur Lands Two Sales in Two Weeks

Even an airplane tycoon must come back to earth eventually. At least for Louis Gonda, it’s finally a safe landing.

Even an airplane tycoon must come back to earth eventually. At least for Louis Gonda, it’s finally a safe landing.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

By clicking submit, you agree to our <a href="http://observermedia.com/terms">terms of service</a> and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

See all of our newsletters

Mr. Gonda and wife, Kelly, have been trying to sell two luxury homes in Manhattan and Beverly Hills after the market nosedived and took the former billionaire’s fortunes with it. The Los Angeles Times reported a week before Christmas that their California mansion sold for $23 million, the highest price ever in the city. Now, the Gondas’ Upper East Side pied-a-terre has sold for $12 million.

According to public records, in 2001 Mr. Gonda paid $17.9 million for the 3,100-square-foot penthouse at 28 East 70th Street with a leafy terrace that looks big enough to land a helicopter on. But when the Gondas listed the property in June, they asked a down-to-earth $16 million, before dropping the price to $14.75 million.

The Holocaust survivors’ son made a fortune founding the largest leaser in the aircraft industry, selling the company to AIG in 1990 for a reported 20 million shares–now worth a fraction of their pre-bailout price. But listing brokers Richard Ferrari and Drew Glick of Brown Harris Stevens told The Observer in the spring that the Gondas weren’t sellng their three-bedroom spread because of financial difficulties, but because they needed more space for their brood of five grown children. “They just need more bedrooms!” said Mr. Glick.

The Gondas’ search for a bigger Manhattan abode continues. But Messrs. Ferrari and Glick had no comment.

lkusisto@observer.com

Gonda! Aviation Entrepreneur Lands Two Sales in Two Weeks