William Randolph Hearst’s one-time Central Park West penthouse returns for $18M

Three years ago, T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere dropped $18 million on this palatial Upper West Side penthouse, but after first re-listing the sprawling duplex at 91 Central Park West for $22 million in February, he’s now dropped the price down to $17,995,000–meaning he’ll break completely even. Not only will the new buyer be able to say they’re living in William Randolph Hearst’s one-time home, but Legre worked with esteemed contemporary architectural design firm SheltonMindel to update the residence while retaining its magnificent historic details such as stained glass windows, elaborately carved woodwork, and ornate ceiling moldings. Plus, there’s an equally expansive private terrace overlooking the park.

The elevator opens directly to the penthouse’s stone foyer, which leads to a gallery with vaulted ceilings and finally into the 16′ x 31′ corner living room. Here, an 11-foot-tall plaster ceiling looks down on a wall of built-ins, oak burnsall paneling, and a wood-burning fireplace surrounded by a gorgeous floor-to-ceiling hand-carved mantle.

Both the living room and the dining room open onto the 1,700-square-foot wrap-around terrace, which spans the entire frontage of the building.

The kitchen is a bit smaller than you’d imagine (Mr. Hearst was probably not doing any cooking himself), but it does have a walk-in pantry.

Also on the main level are four bedrooms, all of which open onto the terrace and have en-suite bathrooms.

Up a sky-lit staircase off the foyer, you can access the penthouse’s crowning tower. Complete with a full wood-carved wet bar, the space has a built-in banquette, 14+ foot beamed ceilings, and stained-glass windows offering northern and eastern views.

The 16-story 91 Central Park West was constructed in 1926 by Schwartz and Gross Architects in the neo-Renaissance style. It has 94 units and is considered one of Central Park West’s most prominent co-ops. Located on the northwest corner of West 69th Street, it sits directly across from one of Central Park’s major pedestrian entrances.

Believe it or not, this was not William Randolph Hearst’s biggest NYC residence. He also owned a Riverside Drive penthouse that had a whopping 14,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. His former Beverly Hills mansion–also where JFK spent his honeymoon and where parts of “The Godfather” and “The Bodyguard” were filmed–is currently on the market for $135 million, which would set an LA county record if sold for that price.

John Legere did not disclose the reason for selling the apartment, but he did recently say that if T-Mobile’s merger with Spring goes through, he’d like to move to Kansa City.

[Listing: 91 Central Park West, PHA by Heather McDonough and Henry Hershkowitz of Compass]

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Listing photos courtesy of Compass