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European Auto Heir, Bon Vivant Lists Palatial Manhattan Co-op for $19 Million

Famed architect Ettore Sottsass designed the interiors of the home at Hotel des Artistes

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Simca automobile heir and entrepreneur Jean Pigozzi has one of the largest living rooms in New York City, spanning some 1,180 square feet—about the size of the average apartment sold in Manhattan last quarter, according to stats from appraisal firm Miller Samuel.

The great room has two massive windows that look out onto the Upper West Side and Central Park, and ceilings that top out at close to 19 feet. It’s the room in which Mr. Pigozzi, an avid African art collector, photographer and all around bon vivant, hosted an array of celebrity-studded bashes and the centerpiece of a triplex co-op he is now selling for $19 million.

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"It’s one of the largest great rooms that I’ve seen and I’ve been selling real estate in New York for a very long time," said Deborah Grubman, a broker on the listing with Corcoran Group. The home is co-listed with David Adler, also of Corcoran, and Roberta Golubock and Mark Thomas Amadei, both of Sotheby’s International Realty.  

Mr. Pigozzi bought the first of two units at the illustrious Hotel des Artistes on West 67th Street some 30 years ago, and shortly after added on the penthouse unit directly above, Ms. Grubman said. The three-floor spread has three bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, though there is plenty of room to convert space into an additional bedroom, she added.

The French-born socialite hired famed Italian architect Ettore Sottsass to design the unusual interior, now detailed with built-in book cases and filled to the brim with Mr. Pigozzi’s world-class collection of African artwork.

He’s turned the top floor into private quarters with the most dramatic views over the city. The master bedroom has a door out onto an 827-square-foot private roof deck, which wraps around a glass-encased solarium that Mr. Pigozzi has used as a study, according to the listing.

Much of the second level overlooks the dramatic living and double-height dining rooms below, though it also hosts an en-suite bedroom and two large, side-by-side dressing rooms. All three floors are accessible by elevator or stairs.  

The larger-than-life dimensions of the home have called for proportional furnishings, with long sofas that could scarcely fit inside a typical New York City home and a theater-sized projector screen mounted discreetly at the top of a wall. Given the unique size of the spaces, a buyer could negotiate purchasing some of the fixtures and furnishings.

"It’s not cookie-cutter in any way," Ms. Grubman said. "Nothing is ordinary in this house."

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Public property records for the famed co-operative are sparse in the 1980s, when Mr. Pigozzi bought the home, and do not show much he paid for the two units 30 years ago.

The next owner will have access to the building’s luxury amenities, including a pool, fitness center and squash courts.

Mr. Pigozzi could not immediately be reached for comment.