The world would expect nothing less from Bette Midler than a curtain-raising listing of her longtime Upper East Side home. That splashy debut came this past weekend when Midler’s expansive 1125 Fifth Avenue triplex penthouse hit the New York City’s high-end real estate market at $50 million.
Set in an Emery Roth prewar classic on the corner of 94th Street along Museum Mile, the residence spans 7,000 square feet over three floors plus an additional 3,000 square feet of designer landscaped terracing. The mammoth and sunlit apartment — Midler has decried the lack of sunlight in many NYC apartments — worked for Midler and her family since its purchase in 2006, but is now too big.
Midler told the New York Times that with her actress daughter Sophie von Haselberg on her own, she and husband Martin von Haselberg think “it’s time for another family to enjoy it.”
For Midler, life has been a highly entertaining series of grand and showy performances, from her 1960s start in off-Broadway to her cult following years singing at gay bathhouses to her Grammy-winning records and her Tony-winning turn in the Broadway production of “Hello, Dolly!”
The Hawaii native also made a big splash in her adopted hometown of NYC by buying the Carnegie Hill triplex with stunning Central Park views more than 20 years ago, when Midler decamped from Tribeca.
The 1125 Fifth Avenue apartment was then remodeled with the help of Los Angeles architect Frederick Fisher and decorator Fernando Santangelo, and was featured in Architectural Digest in 2014.
The 6-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom apartment is accessed by a private elevator, which lands in a large gallery and opens to a 70-foot entertaining space. The bedrooms and family room are on the 15th floor, with the grand kitchen, dining and living space on the 16th floor. Upstairs on the 17th floor sits a library and more terracing.
The luxury real estate market in Manhattan has slowed down, so it will be curious to see how this listing from John Burger at Brown Harris Stevens will fare with buyers. Monthly maintenance is $25,516. But, the home is like a grand country estate in an NYC penthouse aerie – simply divine.
> See more photos of Midler’s apartment
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