Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, one of the sport’s most beloved besuited figures, is doubtless gearing up for playoff season as we speak: stocking cabinets with game-day snacks, filling the fridge with the requisite suds and handpicking the perfect avocados for his signature homemade guac.
By the looks of it, none of these pregame preparations will be taking place at his Manhattan apartment. According to city records, the gridiron honcho has sold his Park Avenue penthouse.
The New Jersey native bought the perch at 710 Park Avenue back in 2005, paying $3.3 million at that time. He put the two-bedroom, two-bath place on the market back in March (perhaps when he heard Zygi Wilf was looking in the neighborhood) with an initial asking price of $3.5 million. He took a hit on the sale, however, as it ultimately went for just $3 million. Ouch! Sacked for a loss.
Mr. Tagliabue listed Washington D.C. as his primary address on the deed, where he currently works at a law firm and serves as the chairman of the board at Georgetown. In October, Mr. Tagliabue and his wife, Chandler, announced they were making a $5 million donation to the university. Perhaps the sale of their New York apartment was part of their philanthropic financing plan?
The Observer spoke to Brown Harris Stevens agent Alice London who listed the Park Avenue apartment. She declined to discuss Mr. Tagliabue, but gushed about the home. “It was a little gem,” she said, citing the fireplace, lap terrace, and city views. “It’s hard to find anything like that,” she concluded.
The buyer is Norman Feit who is also has a home in Florida.
eknutsen@observer.com
