Full-Floor Unit at The Benson Leads with $15.5 Million Ask

From January 30 – February 5, 2023, the top sale recorded by Olshan Realty’s market report (https://olshan.com/marketreport.php) was a massive four-bedroom unit at 50 West 66th Street (https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/central-park-west/50-west-66th-street/72771), Extell’s Upper West Side skyscraper, which was being marketed off floor plans and asking $22,750,000. The contract comes about two months after a combination unit in the building entered contract with a $45,500,000 ask (https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/top-contracts-combo-unit-50-west-66th-street-asks-455m/57361), but it is unclear when the unidentified buyers will be able to move in. Construction has been on hold for a long time between the pandemic and various legal difficulties, but work is now underway again.

Some preservationists’ beef with 50 West 66th Street is its towering height, which would make it the Upper West Side’s tallest above 58th Street and make a jarring addition to the local skyline and streetscape. However, that was not the case at the home of the next-highest contract: New construction condo The Benson (https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/carnegie-hill/the-benson-1045-madison-avenue/120591) was inspired by the prewar architecture surrounding it. The tenth and eleventh floors were originally combined into a duplex that closed for $27,950,000 in March 2022 (https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/top-sales-amp-contracts-prewar-inspired-upper-east-side-condos-take-top-sales-contracts/54961). The duplex was relisted a few months later, but the unidentified seller started marketing the two full-floor units separately in the fall. The 11th-floor unit has entered contract with a  ask.

From the Listing:

Be the first to live in this full floor, 6-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom residences at The Benson, Madison Avenue’s newest and most luxurious residential development. With architecture and interiors designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects, this limestone clad building with intricate ironwork and distinctive mullioned windows sets a new standard for beauty, lifestyle, and service. This is a resale, not a sponsor sale, so there are no new development fees and taxes!As you enter this regal home through a custom wrought iron door, a gallery welcomes you to a massive Great Room lined with a wall of west-facing windows and gas fireplace. Off the Great Room is an oversized eat-in kitchen with cabinetry by Christopher Peacock, featuring solid walnut interiors and honed Calacatta Gold marble on the island. Appliances include side by side Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer units and a Miele package with an 8-burner, dual oven range with a glass and polished nickel vented hood, speed oven, 2 dishwashers, and a floor-to-ceiling wine fridge.