The 33-foot-wide Manhattan townhouse of the late Johnson & Johnson heiress and socialite Libet Johnson has been sold to one of China’s richest men for $39 million.
The family of Johnson, who was once one of New York City’s richest women and who died last year after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, sold the historic Georgian Revival mansion on East 69th Street to billionaire game developer and philanthropist Tianqiao Chen, according to a deed filed with the city on Thursday.
The man who brought the Big Mac to New York is selling his Park Avenue penthouse—and it comes with a bonus apartment https://t.co/jmmPVmsjiw pic.twitter.com/o5QVvxCAOJ
— Mansion Global (@MansionGlobal) December 12, 2017
The red brick and limestone townhouse has been home to titans of industry (and their offspring) since it was built 137 years ago. It belonged to Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt—from whom it got its nickname the Vanderbilt Mansion—and later Depression-era insurance exec Edwin C. Jameson, according to the listing shared by Brown Harris Stevens and Sotheby’s International Realty.
The co-listing agents were John Burger of BHS and Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s.
The sale marks a major discount from the $55 million Johnson’s family originally asked when the historic home first listed in 2016, according to listing records.
The home ultimately sold at a loss, as Libet Johnson bought it in 2011 for $48 million—$9 million more than it just sold for, property records show.
The five-story mansion encompasses seven bedrooms, more than eight full and partial bathrooms and a slew of grand entertaining areas.
The home opens into a dramatic black and white marble gallery that leads back into the kitchen area and upstairs to the living and dining floor, photos of the home show.
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The townhouse comes with five wood-burning fireplaces, a landscaped garden, elevator and wine cellar. The home also has a nightclub-like space in the basement.
Mr. Chen, 44, founded Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd., which was at one point China’s biggest Internet company. The entrepreneur has more recently focused on his philanthropy, including a major gift for cross-industry research on human well-being.He could not immediately be reached for comment.