Bette Midler is selling her gorgeous Upper East Side home, which she and husband Martin von Haselberg bought in 1996.
A die-hard New Yorker Midler says she will stay in the city, just in a smaller (probably not small) apartment nearby. Her daughter, actress Sophie von Haselberg, is out of the penthouse, so as you’ll see, it’s WAY too big for two people. It’s too big for 10 people but that’s beside the point.
Bette’s neighbors in her 14-room penthouse triplex, one of Fifth Avenue’s finest pre-war co-ops, have included Jon Bon Jovi, Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates, Disney’s chairman Bob Iger.
Designed by renowned architect Emery Roth in 1925 it has spectacular views of Central Park and the skyline, with 7,000 square feet of living space and another 3,000 square feet of landscaped terraces.
It includes a south-facing conservatory, a double living room, formal dining room, an office, an eat-in kitchen with access to outdoor dining on the terrace. All the main rooms lead out to the wraparound terrace overlooking Central Park and the reservoir.
All the bedrooms are on the 15th floor, underneath the entertaining space. The huge master bedroom suite faces Central Park and with lots of closet space, a large bathroom plus a study/dressing area and a fireplace. There are 4 more bedrooms, with en suite bathrooms and a family room.
Most of the top floor, accessed from a center staircase, is taken up by a library with 13-foot ceilings, full-height fitted bookcases, another wood burning fireplace with a rooftop garden. I see a piano there, where I imagine Bette rehearses with her longtime accompanist, Marc Shaiman.
All for just $50 million! Have a look around.
(Photos, Brown Harris, Stevens; via Homes & Gardens)
