Saudi Prince Is New Owner of Joan Rivers’ Lavish Penthouse, Will Undertake a Gut Renovation
Initial reports told us that Joan Rivers’ opulent Upper East Side penthouse had sold for its asking price of $28 million to a Middle Eastern buyer. And now the Post confirms that the new owner is 65-year-old Saudi prince Muhammad bin Fahd. More newsworthy, though, is the fact that the prince plans to completely gut the 5,100-square-foot triplex, meaning it will lose its legendary gilded details that Rivers once called “Louis XIV meets Fred and Ginger.”
The lavish home, located at 1 East 62nd Street, is filled with crystal chandeliers, antique boisserie paneling and columns, and Versailles-inspired decor, all of which must not have resonated with bin Fahd as he “immediately brought in an architect and designers,” according to the Post.
The prince might face some opposition, though, from a longtime resident of the penthouse, the ghost named Mrs. Spencer. She was J.P. Morgan’s niece and the residence’s original occupant. In 2009, Rivers talked about her presence in an episode of “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” saying the spirit turned the apartment cold and caused electrical outlets not to work. The strange happenings finally ceased after the comedienne brought in a voodoo priestess and hung a portrait of Mrs. Spencer in the lobby.
[Listing: 1 East 62nd Street, PH by Leighton Candler of the Corcoran Group]
[Via NYP]
RELATED:
- Joan Rivers’ Legendary Upper East Side Penthouse Is on the Market for $28M
- Joan Rivers’ Neighbor Lists Her ‘Shabby’ Apartment for $6M
- Saudi Prince’s UWS Apartment with Three Bullet-Proof Panic Rooms Lists for $48.5M
Photos via the Corcoran Group
