Wilbur Ross, the newly sworn in Secretary of Commerce, is having some trouble offloading his 14-room penthouse.
Ross has been trying to part ways with the apartment at 171 West 57th Street since October 2015, back when he was just a billionaire trying to sell a palatial New York abode. He stuck an impressive $21 million price tag on the five-bedroom, 5.5-bath condo, which was then listed with Sotheby’s International Realty.
Alas, the 5,573-square-foot penthouse lingered on the market, as the price slowly decreased. It was most recently asking $18.5 million at the end of February, at which point the Sotheby’s International Realty listing disappeared.
Now, just a few days after Ross’ confirmation as Commerce Secretary, the unit is back, with a few changes. It has an updated listing with Corcoran broker Carrie Chiang, and a newly discounted price tag of $16.5 million. Ross paid $18 million for the condo in 2007, so he must really want to get rid of the place. Then again, when you have approximately $2.5 billion in the bank and a cabinet position, maybe a $500,000 loss doesn’t hurt quite as much.
The “European style” home has quite the entertaining space; aside from the living room and library, there’s a dining room that “comfortably seats thirty,” as well as a decked out catering kitchen with Traulsen appliances, a wine cooler, double fridge, freezer, plus a stainless steel island and black granite countertops.
Mario Buatta designed the penthouse—he’s the designer of choice for Ross and his wife, society writer Hilary Geary Ross—and has worked on many a residence for the couple. There are five wood-burning fireplaces throughout the home, as well as wood panel finishes and the “finest” wall coverings, including lacquer and silk treatments.
The ceilings vary from from 9 feet to over 19’6″ in the double height living room, and the 1,837-square-feet of outdoor space includes an irrigated planted terrace.
The home is “[s]uited to satisfy those with the most discriminating taste,” declares the listing, which notes “even art connoisseurs will appreciate the home’s professional lighting and HVAC system.” That’s kind of a given, considering the Ross’ art collection is reportedly worth around $150 million.
The lack of interest in the Briarcliff home, however, hasn’t stopped the Ross’ from picking up another piece of real estate. The couple purchased a 10,000-square-foot home in D.C.’s Massachusetts Heights neighborhood in December—it was listed for $12 million, and is located just across the street from his Commerce Secretary predecessor, Penny Pritzker.