Barbara Walters’ Upper East Side apartment sells for $15M

Barbara Walters’ longtime Upper East Side apartment has sold for $14,999,900, public records show. The home at 944 Fifth Avenue hit the market last April for $19.75 million. The beloved journalist lived in the five-bedroom, five-bath pre-war apartment for 30 years until her death in 2022.

The apartment’s price was lowered to $17.8 million last September and entered contract in November 2023. According to the New York Post, the buyer walked out of the deal and a “hefty deposit.” The home returned to the market early this year at a lower price of $16.99 million; the final sales price was $2 million less.

As first reported by the Real Deal, an entity tied to former Disney president Michael Ovitz and partner Tamara Mellon, co-founder of Jimmy Choo bought the apartment. According to the record, Michael S. Dreyer, listed as the trustee of the Zenpax Trust, closed on the apartment on July 9. According to the news site, Dreyer was listed as the chief financial officer of the Ovitz Family Foundation on a tax filing.

Entrance to the grand abode is through a private elevator landing and a spacious entry gallery. The living room boasts 10-foot ceilings, views of the park, and a wood-burning fireplace. The sprawling main room can easily host large groups of friends, family, and guests.

All of the apartment’s rooms, including its living room, dining room, and wood-paneled library, are connected by large transition areas, making it the ideal space for entertaining guests while also allowing for comfortable day-to-day living.

The home’s wood-paneled primary bedroom suite also has views of Central Park and another wood-burning fireplace. The luxurious suite also includes two baths.

Located down the bedroom hallway are two additional large bedrooms, one of which is currently configured as a den. All of the bedrooms have en-suite baths, and the unit also features two staff rooms, each a bathroom.

Other highlights of the home include an expansive eat-in kitchen with a butler’s pantry and an adjacent laundry room.

The home was listed as Walters left it, which included all of her belongings. Last November, Bonhams auctioned her jewelry, furniture, clothing, and comprehensive collection of American art. Highlights of the collection included pieces from some of the most prominent artists of the Gilded Age, including John Singer Sargent and Childe Hassam, according to Bonhams.

When Walters moved into the apartment in the late 1980s, she enlisted the help of interior designer Mario Buatta to fill it with fine art, antique furniture, and souvenirs from her international travels. Over time, the apartment saw new additions in the form of gifts from friends, including items from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, according to Curbed.

The apartment’s decor became a reflection of Walters’ trailblazing career in media and a space that frequently hosted 30-person dinners including some of the most famous in politics, fashion, art, and media.

Much of Walters’ household possessions were auctioned off as well. She was known for owning items that reminded her of key moments in her life, like a painting above her bed that depicted a scene of Boston Swan Boats.

Constructed in 1925, 944 Fifth Avenue is a 14-story pet-friendly limestone building with only one apartment per floor. The co-op building offers residents private storage, a gym, and a door attendant.

[Listing details: 944 Fifth Avenue Fl. 6 at CityRealty]

[At Compass by Alexa Lambert]

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Editor’s note: The original version of this article was published on November 8, 2023, and has since been updated to include the final sale price.

All photos courtesy of Donna Dotan unless noted otherwise

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