A Park Avenue penthouse that was once the official residence of the ambassador to the former Yugoslavia hit the market for the first time in over 40 years on Friday with an $18 million asking price.
The former Yugoslavia "purchased it in 1975 for $100,000," said listing broker Tristan Harper of Douglas Elliman. "And they paid $1 extra for the furniture from the previous seller."
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When the country was dissolved in the 1990s following war—it’s now the successor states of Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia—the penthouse was abandoned by its last ambassador, Mr. Harper said, and it has now been sitting vacant for 27 years.
"It needs tender loving care, as we say," Mr. Harper said, adding that the bones of the property, the location and its history will all help the property sell. "The rooms are spectacular, the pre-war details are all preserved and the sweeping staircase is very gracious."
The 13-room duplex near 71st Street on the Upper East Side spans roughly 4,500 square feet and has three terraces, a corner living room, a formal dining room, a library, a chef's kitchen, four master suites and two staff rooms, according to its listing.
Showings for the property are set to begin next week. "We are lining up the appointments and we already have four or five," Mr. Harper said. "People wait for properties like this."
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The penthouse is being sold by thesuccessor states,and all five will have to agree on the sale, Mr. Harper said.
Along with the Park Avenue penthouse, Mr. Harper and Douglas Elliman are listing, on behalf of the successor states, an embassy in Switzerland, an embassy in Germany, an embassy in Tokyo and a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on Fifth Avenue with a $50 million price tag.
Curbed first reported the listing.