Friday, September 12, 2014

Pavarotti Slept Here: Purchase Luciano's New York Luxury Apartment

The late tenor seen here in 1996 leaving Hampshire House
"A spacious two-bedroom co-op at the Hampshire House that captivated the Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti some 30 years ago with its treehouse vistas of the entirety of Central Park is poised to enter the market at $13.7 million. The monthly maintenance fees for the 2,000-square-foot apartment, No. 2301, at 150 Central Park South between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, are $4,785. Considering that the white-brick, white-glove Hampshire House, which opened in 1937 with eye-popping interiors by the iconic Dorothy Draper, has scores of staff members looking after the needs of its residents, the monthly charge seems comparatively equitable. The 37-story apartment building, with its distinctive copper roof and twin chimneys, converted to a co-op in 1949; although its board does not frown on international buyers in search of choice pieds-à-terre, it does insist on a cash-only policy.....Mr. Pavarotti, who died at age 71 in 2007 at his main residence near Modena in northern Italy, considered the Hampshire House the favorite
A Room with a View: Pavarotti's singing spot when learning a role in NYC.
of his several pieds-à-terre, according to Ms. Mantovani, who lives in Italy, where she established a foundation after his death. The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation supports aspiring singers and musicians; the Modena residence has already been donated to the foundation, as will a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the New York apartment. (Two smaller units at the Hampshire House that Mr. Pavarotti had used to house his staff and his bodyguard have already been sold.) In an email, Ms.
Palatial Panoramic: A Central Park view fit for the king of the high C's
Mantovani, who married the singer in 2003, said he told her he had first been drawn to the apartment by its views, roomy layout and the fact that it was within walking distance — and eyesight — of the Met. “His favorite room was the living room with its big piano where he could rehearse and get inspired by the magnificent views of Manhattan,” she said. “He adored New York City, which he thought of as a beautiful woman.” [Source] To contact the real estate agent for purchase, click here. Serious inquiries only. More photos and the apartment floor plan are after the jump.