That unspent Dynamo money must have been burning a hole in Leslie Alexander's pocket, because the Houston Rockets owner has just dropped big bucks on a New York City penthouse. The New York Post first revealed the $42 million sale — one that The Wall Street Journal notes "will be the highest price paid for a Manhattan apartment south of 59th Street" once the deal closes next year.
It's perhaps not as valuable as Donald Trump's gilded penthouse apartment atop Trump Tower but, if the artist renderings can be trusted, it will certainly be more tasteful.
The duplex penthouse has five bedrooms, four terraces, a pool and a whirlpool, in a former hotel for single women at 18 Gramercy Park.
Architect Robert A.M. Stern is converting the building into family-sized luxury apartments, the owners of which "have the privilege of purchasing an annual key to Manhattan's only private park, a stately and serene space rich with history."
Alexander's most recent real estate purchase follows the recent flipping of an unfinished penthouse on the Hudson River, which he had designed to his specifications. He bought that property for $25.4 million in Sept. 2009, put it back on the market the following week and sold it for $31.5 million a year later — allegedly the highest price then recorded for a downtown Manhattan condo.
The Rockets owner also has an oceanfront home in Southampton, N.Y., where he spends half of the year.
Take a tour of the penthouse below:
