Combo-Unit At 50 W 66th St Leads Manhattan’s Luxury Market

Gary Barnett is answering his latest buyer’s call to supersize an apartment at 50 West 66th Street.

The developer is combining a four-bedroom and seven-bedroom unit into a single sprawling abode at his Lincoln Square development, with an asking price of $19.5 million, according to Olshan Realty’s weekly report.

The 7,000-square-foot condo was the most expensive home in Manhattan to snag a signed contract between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19. Last week, 23 properties in the borough asking $4 million or more found buyers, down from 25 in the previous period.

Unit 7CD is the latest inked deal at Extell Development’s project to top weekly contract reports. At the end of November, a 52nd-floor apartment landed a buyer with an asking price $54.5 million. Amenities at the 127-unit tower, where closings are expected to begin shortly, include indoor and outdoor pools, pickleball courts and a dog-washing facility.

Corcoran’s Beth Benalloul, who heads sales at the building with Corcoran’s Hilary Landis, had the listing. Todd Lewin of Compass’ Lewin Rubin Team brought the buyer.

Barnett’s development faced backlash from a century-old nonprofit, City Club of New York, which sued the developer in 2019 in an attempt to halt construction at the building. The group claimed the project violated zoning regulations and cited alleged safety issues, but the court gave Extell the green light to continue construction.

The attorneys Extell hired to defend against City Club’s claims filed their own lawsuit against the developer last year over alleged unpaid legal bills. Law firm Freedman Normand Friedland accused Extell of failing to pay half of the $1 billion it owed in legal fees, according to the complaint filed in October.

The second priciest home to enter contract was the 16th floor at 535 West End Avenue, with an asking price of $16.5 million. The 6,600-square-foot apartment has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. It also features a private elevator and a 1,800-square-foot terrace.

The home, which last traded for $16.3 million in 2013, hit the market in November. Amenities at the building, also developed by Extell and completed in 2008, include a doorman, fitness center and garage.

Epo Manning and Florence Danforth-Meyer of Sotheby’s International and Stefani Berkin and Tayla Cornelia of R New York had the listing.

Of the 23 properties, 16 were condos, four were co-ops and three were townhouses.

The homes’ combined asking price was $178 million, which works out to an average price of $7.7 million and a median of $6.1 million. The typical home spent more than 300 days on the market and was discounted 5 percent from the original listing price.

This article has been updated with listing broker information for 50 West 66th Street.