E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Brown Harris Stevens
The view from one of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark's three apartments, 12W, on the top floor of 907 Fifth Avenue by Central Park. At right is the pond where Stuart Little, the fictional mouse, sailed boats in the E.B. White classic. Clark occupied this apartment from the 1920s until just after her mother died in 1963. She then renovated her mother's apartment on the 8th floor and moved into it. She left in 1992 for a hospital, and died in 2011 at age 104.
NEW YORK —The three New York City apartments owned by the mysterious heiress Huguette Clark have been listed for sale, with a total asking price of $55 million, even as the legal contest over her $400 million estate is just beginning.
"Butterfield 8 - the exchange number found on the old dial telephone - sets the tone for what this apartment represents: timeless grace; high style and prime location," the listing brokers wrote in their description, marketing the apartments as a time capsule from New York's Gilded Age. The apartments are listed by Brown Harris Stevens, an exclusive affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate.
The apartments will need significant work. They are described as "a diamond in the rough."
The three apartments cost the reclusive heiress to a Montana copper fortune $28,500 a month in co-op fees, or $342,000 a year, while she lived for two decades in New York hospital rooms. Huguette Marcelle Clark has been the subject of a series of reports on msnbc.com about her vacant properties and the management of her fortune. When she died last May at age 104, she owned three apartments at 907 Fifth Avenue, at 72nd Street, overlooking Central Park's Conservatory Water, the sailboat pond where the mouse Stuart Little sailed in the E.B. White story, near the statute of Alice in Wonderland.
Her three apartments have a total of 42 rooms. Two of her apartments make up the entire eighth floor, or about 10,000 square feet, with another 5,000 square feet in an apartment that occupies half of the top floor, the 12th. (She also owned an oceanfront estate in Santa Barbara, Calif., with an estimated value of $100 milliion, and a country home in New Canaan, Conn., which has been on the market for $24 million.)
No photos of the inside of the apartments are available yet — they are still being cleared of her property, including her collections of dolls and fine paintings.
But floorplans were released by the brokers at Brown Harris Stevens. And the listings are here, for apartment 8E, apartment 8W, and apartment 12W.
Here are the three apartments:
Apartment 8W, listed at $19 million, is where Huguette Clark lived from 1964 until she moved out in 1992 to a hospital, leaving the furnished apartment without an occupant. With 5,000 square feet of space, this apartment has 100 feet of frontage on Fifth Avenue and 10 rooms, including a sitting room that is 20 by 26, and an entry gallery that is 12 by 37. There are "expansive views above the trees of Central Park through 9 enormous windows."
Brown Harris Stevens
Apartment 8E, listed at $12 million, has no frontage on Central Park, but has 12 rooms and 5,000 square feet. "The extraordinary windowed gallery, 47 feet by 13 feet, with beautiful herringbone floors, opens to the 29-foot corner living room; the library; the reception room and the formal dining room. All rooms are generously proportioned and flooded with light through enormous windows. The ceilings are high; the walls are expansive and in great condition - an art collector's dream."
Brown Harris Stevens
Apartment 12W, on the market for $24 million, also has 5,000 square feet. Huguette Clark and her mother, Anna, moved here in the 1920s. The daughter lived here from her divorce in 1930 until 1964, shortly after her mother died. It has 14 rooms with most of the main rooms looking west at Central Park. "The apartment stretches the full length of the Fifth Avenue facade of the building, offering over 100 feet of frontage on the Avenue and exceptional views of Central Park and the West Side skyline. Light streams through the nine oversized windows on the Fifth Avenue exposure. The magnificent 37-foot gallery features 11-foot ceilings, stone door surrounds, linen-fold panel doors and beautiful herringbone floors. From the corner master bedroom, one enjoys views over the model sailboat pond all the way north to the George Washington Bridge. While one needs to envision the apartment brought up to date for today's lifestyle, the bones are here for a unique and fabulous residence."
Brown Harris Stevens
The view from 8W, a view that Huguette Clark gave up for the last 20 years of her life.
Earlier estimates by real estate agents put the value of the apartments at about $70 million, $15 million more than they were listed for. The value of the two apartments on the 8th floor would increase, the brokers said, if the co-op board allowed them to be combined.
When the apartments sell, some of the money will be used to pay estate expenses, with the rest will be held for the eventual winner of the legal battle.
Clark signed two wills when she was 98. The first will left nearly everything to her family, the children of her father's first marriage. The second will, signed just six weeks later, was more detailed, excluding her family entirely and making plans for an art museum in her California oceanfront home (with $100 million in real estate, $100 million in artwork, and $10 million in cash), and leaving about $36 million to her nurse ($27 million after taxes), a $40 million Monet to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, with smaller gifts to a godchild, her doctor, her attorney, her accountant and others. The family has accused Clark's nurse, attorney and accountant of colluding, while the attorney and accountant have said that Clark's wishes were expressed specifically in the second will.
Clark and her mother moved into the building in 1927 or 1928 after the death of Huguette's father, the former Sen. William Andrews Clark, in 1925. The mother and daughter moved down Fifth Avenue from the family's enormous home, with 121 rooms at 962 Fifth Avenue, which was being demolished. Just a five-minute walk away, the Italian palazzo-style apartment building at 907 Fifth Avenue was designed by renowned architect J.E.R. Carpenter.
It had the most expensive apartments in the city when it opened in 1915. The head of Standard Oil, Herbert L. Pratt, rented the entire 12th floor. As The New York Times tells it, the architect, "Mr. Carpenter, who was described as 'the father of the modern large apartment' in New York City, was one of the building’s first residents. In the 1920s, he lived alongside oil barons, a tinplate king, a president of the New York Stock Exchange, and a Russian prince." After Pratt moved out, the Clark mother and daughter moved into the 12th floor. The mother later moved to the 8th floor. After she died in 1963, Huguette Clark moved down to 8, leaving 12 for storage of her dollhouses and other furnishings.
Guests enter the limestone building through a canopy-protected doorway on 72nd Street into a lobby with a coffered ceiling and a striking stone staircase. Amenities include full-time doormen, a full gymnasium and a landscaped rooftop garden.
Photos of other apartments in the building are availble in a previous story, You can move into heiress Huguette Clark's building, for $25 million.
---
Reporter Bill Dedman is continuing to report on the Clark story, and is writing a nonfiction book about the Clark family. If you have information, you can reach him at bill.dedman@msnbc.com.
Previous stories in the Huguette Clark mystery series on msnbc.com:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
The young copper heiress Huguette Clark with one of her dolls. She died in May 2011 at age 104. Her apartments, said to be the largest in New York City, are now for sale.
Archive of all stories, photos and videos.
Photo narrative, "The Clarks: An American story of wealth, scandal and mystery," Feb. 26, 2010.
Printable version of the photo narrative, Feb. 26, 2010.
Clark family notes and sources, Feb. 26, 2010.
Investigative report, part one, "At 104, the mysterious heiress Huguette Clark is alone now: Relatives are kept away. Only her accountant and attorney visit. Who protects HuguetteClark, with 3 empty homes and no heirs?" Aug. 19, 2010.
Investigative report, part two, "Who is watching Huguette Clark's millions? Reclusive heiress's assets are sold by two advisers, one an accountant with a felony conviction. Another elderly client signed over his property to the same accountant and attorney," Aug. 20, 2010.
"Criminal probe begins into the finances of reclusive heiress Huguette Clark: Manhattan DA's Elder Abuse Unit is on the case. The same unit prosecuted the Brooke Astor case; Clark has about four times the wealth," Aug. 24, 2010.
"Report sparks welfare check on heiress Huguette Clark," Aug. 25, 2010.
"Generosity of an heiress: four homes for a nurse, gifts for attorney's family," Sept. 1, 2010.
"Huguette Clark, the reclusive heiress, has signed a will, attorney says," Sept. 2, 2010.
"Family of copper heiress asks court to protect her from attorney, accountant," Sept. 3, 2010.
"Attorney for 104-year-old heiress defends his handling of her finances," Sept. 7, 2010.
"Judge leaves pair under investigation in control of heiress Huguette Clark's fortune," Sept. 9, 2010.
"Huguette Clark, the reclusive copper heiress, dies at 104," May 24, 2011.
"Family excluded from Huguette Clark burial," May 26, 2011.
"Heiress Huguette Clark's will leaves $1 million to advisers," June 22, 2011.
"The 1 percent of the 1 percent: How Huguette Clark's millions were spent," Nov. 19, 2011.
"A $400 miillion twist: Huguette Clark signed two wills, one to her family," Nov. 28, 2011.
"Tax fraud alleged in estate of heiress Huguette Clark; accountant resigns," Dec. 21, 2011.
"Nurse, in line to inherit millions, battles family of heiress Huguette Clark," Dec. 22, 2011.
"Judge bounces attorney and accountant from estate of heiress Huguette Clark," Dec. 23, 2011.
"Book coming on reclusive heiress Huguette Clark and her family," Feb. 3, 2012.
"You can move into heiress Huguette Clark's building, for $25 million," Feb. 6, 2012.
"Family of heiress Huguette Clark claims fraud by nurse, attorney, accountant," Feb. 15, 2012.
Where there is a will there are always relatives or so called friends staff or otherwise trying to get it
I hope that she did have for the most part a good life. RIP Ms Clark.
The attorney and accountant are in another questionable will debate with another family. If I remember right for almost the same thing. Selling of priceless objects, questionable billing and a number of attachments to his will, just what I remember reading. They also found that they didn't send notices to the family about the reading of will but did send "copies" to the court so on the date of the reading nobody showed up but these two slime balls. I was only when the court sent notice of settlement that the family knew what happened. Just like Ms. Clark family was kept away. No charges have been filed in this case. These 2 slime balls should be punished.
Not only that but they put a no contact order on her family and force-ably kept them away. They are very good at what they do..obviously, they have done it before and keep getting away with it. In the the original story from the time when this was first being reported, around the same time they a posted no visitors they fired her original long term nurse and hired one of their own, Smart way to ensure no one got in.... I would think also, that someone should investigate the Judge that keeps givng them rights to her estate...sounds like a funny money deal to me!
The Clarke family should have not let the attorneys take so much family power away from them to begin with. They had to have known things weren't right and had evaluations done themselves in order to protect her from the thieves that distanced her from them in order to manipulate and steal from her.
Exactly Mike. If the family is so concerned for her now why not before. They are only concerned now because they want the money.
the attorney and cpa, kept the family away from her, even getting a order for them not to contact her directly; they kept this old women in complete isolation, a prisoner, and raided the vault, they are really a couple of slim balls.
Huguette Clark, according to all reports, suffered various mental aliments but unless she was legally declared unable to act of her own accord it will be difficult to prove that either will is fake. I won't disagree that she could of been easily manipulated but I don't think this case will get very far before being shut down and most if not all her original declarations kept in tact. If the family was truly that concerned about her and her assets they would be fought a little harder to get in contact with her sooner, it sounds like they didn't know she even existed until she died and they figured out she was loaded and they weren't getting all of that much in her will. So blame the family for swooping in at the last minute and finally caring about the women after she has passed away.
If you haven't followed the entire series of articles, don't comment on here now. The family has been fighting from day one when they were given a no contact order. The have been dealing with this for years. The family are the ones who orginaly started bringing this to the press after constantly being up against red tape. These two slime ballsknew what they were doing all along.
None, of the people mentioned in this article, WORKED to MAKE these millions! Even Ms. Clark. And, her employees were paid plenty for their years of service, and did NOTHING to deserve millions!
@roadkill, at 104 Ms.Clark would have needed help with just about all bodily functions. If you clean up someones' poo for more than one day, you deserve a lot of money (maybe not THAT much).
Ms.Clark obviously agreed.
@marinmom, my grandmother died at 102 and had control of her 'bodily functions'. Even so, if someone was cleaning up Ms. Clark's 'poo' they were getting paid. She was in a hospital, they would have been employed by the hospital, unless the hospital allowed private care, which doesn't happen because of worker's comp. So they were paid, maybe not that much, but that is between them and their employer, the hospital. I have to agree with Roadkill, they did the jobs they were hired to do. I would have to question Ms. Clark's mental faculties at the date of the last will signing and investigate from there.
According to conservatives, all you have to do is work hard in order to be rich. Luck has nothing to do with it.
Yeah Sam... and according to the Liberals, I should work my tail off, and give it all away to "those less fortunate." The "less fortunate" being, illegal's, minorities, and generally anyone else who doesn't want to work hard and contribute, but rather suck off the government tit.
Roadkill, what is your point about Huguette Clark doing "NOTHING to Deserve millions"? She inherited it (after the death of her mother and a sister who died in childhood), from her father who left them his fortune. That's pretty much how it goes in rich families.
@marinmom,
A post that's not hate filled against the right? I didn't think that was possible. Thank you for once leaving politics out of it.
A 106 year old lady who was NOT allowed to see or speak with anybody for the last 20 yrs. of her life EXCEPT her NURSE, a felonious accountant and questionable lawyer who intentionally did unenthical things with her money (such as using it for his own personal interests) while she was ALIVE -
supposedly left FIFTY-SIX MILLION dollars to this NURSE, who never even bothered to go to her burial?
"If it doesn't make sense, it isn't true."
"They don't keep me here because I'm gorgeous, they keep me here because I'm smart."
Judge Judy Sheindlin
:-)
You must have read a different story than the one that I read. Huguette was 104 years old when she died. She left 36 million to her nurse in her will.
Glad to see you only use use your time to correct people on VERY important issues : Yes, she was 104, not 106.
:-)
The FIFTY-SIX MILLION TOTAL is the combination from the attached article :
"Nurse in Line To Inherit Millions MORE , battles family of Huguette Clark."
"26 Million, total amount given BEFORE amounts left lin will, according to court documents."
Now add to that the THIRTY MILLION left in this article and BINGO: FIFTY-SIX MILLION DOLLARS TOTAL.
(And if you take 56 million dollars and divide it by three (3) - that would be a WHOPPING 18 million each, for three people who may be suffering from severe cases of 'entitlementitis' ,possibly.)
I would like to be her nurse. And her nurse does not need to work anymore and her nurse does not worry about if the Nursing Board takes her license away.
The gift has conflict with the licensing.
"Diamond in the Rough" is such a tired worn-out Sales slogan.
How about:
"Bring your Contractor, your Decorator and your Imagination".
,,,,,And in this case your checkbook, because as they say,
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it"
This poor woman. This poor, poor abandoned soul. Who will stop thinking about her money long enough to remember that this was a human being? A human being with feelings, desires, dreams, pains, and all the other good things that come with being human. Who will stop to remember Ms. Huguette Clarke, who lived to see automobiles come into their heyday, who lived to see the first airplanes take to the sky, and died while there were probably thousands of jets cruising at hundreds of miles per hour at 38 thousand feet? The little girl in the picture, who looks so hopeful and sweet? I will. I remember you, Ms. Clarke. I hope you have found the peace that you surely sought out your entire life.
Thank you. They 'played' with that poor woman - horrible.
Now how much are you wanting paid for those kind words.... jk.
I imagine thousands of people living in New York City will remember the lady who left vacant, for 20 years, 3 of the biggest apartments in the city.
Less well remembered are the uncounted men who died mining copper in Montana.
So it's her apartments to do with as she pleases.....if she wants to leave them empty or make it an apartment for a couple of dozen dogs who cares....it's hers and she can with as she pleases
Thousands of people can think about it all they like but unless they have $55M that's all they can do!
Yeah people were treated bad back then but then again so was everyone, they got paid for the job they did. Maybe not enough but they weren't slaves...so that point really doesn't make sense unless you're trying to say they made the money for this family therefore deserved more. To which I counter with, if this family (the father) didn't put his own money up to open this mine all these people would not have had jobs. He put up his money, bought the equipment and took the risk, and it paid off and he made a fortune....he could just as easily put up all that capita,l bought all the machinery and went bust if no copper was found. So his risk equalled reward and in return gave many countless men jobs in which to support their families.
LOL
If you believe "it's her apartments to do with as she pleases" you don't know much about apartments in New York City.
If she was the richest person in the world she wouldn't be allowed to have "a couple of dozen dogs" in that building.
I don't believe everybody was "treated bad back then." Was Huguette Clark?
It looks as though 'Papa Clarks' copper turned into GOLD!!!!!! I have been following their story for a couple of years. Keeps my mind off of all that is going on today. I have always wished that I could live in NYC at the turn of the last century and this gives me a little peak!!!!! I don't really feel sorry for her .... she lived exactly as she wished.
It seems that "Papa Clark's' cooper turned into GOLD. I don't feel sorry for her .... she lived exactly as she wished. But it must have been a long life.....not just in the years....but in the many days that she spent!!!!!
So.....this woman spent 20 YEARS in hospitals, without having to sell ONE property to cover the bill. This is why, once you get to a certain amount, money becomes worthless to you, and incentives should be put in place to force you to invest it in something worthwhile. This is our problem, folks- it's not that we don't manufacture things that it is not economically feasible to manufacture in this country anymore, it's that we don't innovate, and create NEW things, because a single (needless to say), 104-year-old person can own THREE UTTERLY WORTHLESS (especially to her) apartments in Manhattan that she hasn't seen since King Bush the First ruled the land, instead of HAVING TO invest that money in America. There is an amount of money that IS ENOUGH, and we need to get back to that mentality in this country, or else we are going to continue to circle the toilet on the way out to sea...
Yup, yup, we should distribute the wealth - no excuse for people holding onto the money they made! From each according to their ability, to each according to their need - no excuse at all for these greedy people holding on to their money. Soon, we can distribute the wealth and all be rich, just like East Germany, China and Russia. Really worked there!
DB17 - Bitter are you? When people start minding their own business and stop worrying about what others have or have not, and learn to take responsibility, that will be when the world becomes a better place.
Real issues about wealth there huh? Good grief Mr William Clark worked very hard for that money AND YOU WANT IT DISTRIBUTED TO OTHERS? You sound just like the money grubbing lawyer. "let me have it FIRST"
Texas Grace, #13.3: “Good grief Mr William Clark worked very hard for that money..”
Uhhm, yes and no. Clark's relentless pursuit of profit was built from miner's blood and corruption:
“Butte's mines were arguably the most dangerous in the world...It was almost impossible to pick up a Butte newspaper between 1880 and 1930 and not find a notice of a death or serious injury. The descriptions were graphic: “Skull fractured and brains scattered around,” “blown to bits,” “scalded to death,” “torn apart” were among them...By 1940 the “population” of Butte's cemeteries was greater than that of the town.”
David M. Emmons, The Butte Irish: Class and Ethnicity in an American Mining Town, 1875 -1925, (Illinois:University of Illinois Press), 1990, 148-149.
As to Mr. Clark's ethics:
“In 1899 William A Clark once again ran for the US Senate. This time he vowed to get himself elected no matter the cost. Once again, when the state legislature set about to elect another US senator, Clark was one of the candidates. This time, he knew he would win. But just as the state senate met to vote, a young state senator from Flathead County named Fred Whiteside stood up, waved four envelopes containing $30,000 in cash, and said a representative of Clark had paid four senators to vote Clark for senate...Later evidence showed that Clark had paid between $5,000 and $25,000 to each legislator he had bribed. Only 13 legislators had turned him down. In all, his US Senate seat had cost him $1 million in bribes (close to $21 million in today's dollars.)”
Krys Holmes, Dave Walter, Susan C. Dailey, Montana:Stories of the Land, (Helena,MT: Montana Historical Society Press), 2008, 196.
I seems that 'Papa Clark's' copper turned to GOLD!!!!
I have followed every single one of these articles (good investigatory reporting by the way) and those money grubbing leches should not get one thin dime!!!! What they did to that poor woman was horrible - disgusting. Nurse; everyone. The lawyer - oh my gosh - he is the WORST!!!!! He gives snakes a bad name. I just don't how they sleep at night! He should loose everything - including family - just like he did to that woman and HER family. The dolls - ALL everything bought with her money - should be collected from EVERYONE (all leches)- and sold at auction to recuperate what was stolen. I hope those creeps read this and decide that this might be an option.
What are they going to tell Peter when they meet? It won't be pretty.
Well Said @DB17 MSN.com
In the end you can't take it with you.
Who knows what went on this Old Lady seemed to be somewhat of a quack. I mean who in this world lives in a hospital for that long.
Someone who has the cash to pay for it.
EXACTLY,XD!!!!!
I like the closets labeled "Staff." Just make it more honest and put "Servants 'live' here."
The "staff" rooms (closets) got my attention too. The VERY smallest rooms in the whole apts and the "staff" in their heyday did SO much and got SO little. Nobody in this day and age would even consider those measurements to be much of any room. I feel sorry for Ms. Clark - what a long, lonely, sad life.
The staff rooms do look like tiny little closets until you read the room dimensions; they are the size of average apartment bedrooms today. The ones in the third apartment do see pretty narrow, but I swear I had a bedroom that size growing up (a twin bed felt tight in the room).
For those who really would like to make sure their life work/estate is left to the people/causes/charities that you really wish, PLEASE have yourself on VIDEOTAPE when you make out your will.
That way you will ALWAYS have to be on videotape again in the future for any changes to be made, new will, etc. It is really the BEST insurance that you have and make sure copies are in different locations and with different trusted individuals/Foundations.
To those of you who have never been involved with greedy lawyers and money men, please believe me when I tell you that they are masters of manipulation, and fraud more often than not, especially with elderly single women. She trusted them at one point, but as soon as they took over, she was stuck and had no idea how to reverse her situation. Who was she to turn to? And even if she could have turned to her family," they" did not let her once she was in the hospital. She did not need to be in a hospital for 20 years, but guess who put her there, and kept her there !Certainly they were the ones who let it be known that she was unable to care for her affairs due to diminishing capacity I think it is called. "They" weren't about to give up control. Obvious when, and it happens more frequently than you would know, the family was excluded from the funeral. The judge got their number, but far too late for that poor woman. Hopefully "the thugs" will get what is coming to them.
Am I the only one who notices the incorrectly spelled words in these things?!?
You may be experiencing erratophobia, a common condition in which the sufferer perceives spelling and grammar errors as being more important than they actually are.
I don't know about erratophobia. I like to think of it as Grammar Nazi Mania. But thanks, anyway. :)
No, you are not the only one. But if you're consumed with insistence the errors be repaired, that could point to a bit of OCD in you rather than the problems in the article.
I always consider what is being written rather than total perfection in spelling or sentence structure since people who speak many, many languages are extremely intelligent and often make an error or two in spelling, etc.
Think Julio Iglesias types, just for one example.
The web IS international.
:-)
I think she was demented for years that were the main reason
she stayed in hospital; she was insulated from outsiders so that her real
personality be not exposed. There were criminals all around her. In health she
lived on 5 Th ave, once demented she was moved to hospital floor; actually she
should have been in skilled nursing home. . Is someone investigating the role
of hospital in this grand scheme? Role of doctor involved? What medications she
was taking? Was there any independent team of doctors involved? Why her
relatives were restricted from visiting her? Are there hospital security movies
available? This is a major hospital in NYC, every corner is secured, hospital cameras
be great help to visit her; also any cell phone photos and movies will be
helpful to understand her mental status years ago. She was demented and was not
able to make WILL years ago, all her WILLS appear to be forgery, yes she can
write whatever you tell her, she can respond the way you wanted, she was a
living Zombie that’s how it appears. Go to any nursing home and run any old
music of 1930s, every demented will write sign anything you ask them; May be
she was threatened and scared of her death for years and did not wanted to make
that nurse unhappy? NY State should investigate all the wealthy living people
and reevaluate their WILLS if not too family members involved, if there is
power of attorney with a lawyer or there is administrator of the trust of
property involved.
I too want justice for Ms. Clark!
She seemed like such a facinating and kind woman.
some arab oil shiek will by it...only people with they kind of money to waste
MY COUSIN CURTIS (55), MY DIAMOND IN THE " ROUGH " Says the HEIRESS Straight from Her HEART!
Oh how I would love to be able to acquire an apartment like these if in original condition, before someone ruins them with granite and stainless steel.
Oh I so agree with you atomicKathy! I was thinking the same thing. Walls will come down to make the apartment more "open", which will take away the mystery of all the hallways, doors and antechambers leading into rooms....it would be wonderful if whomever acquired it restored it with respect to the original design. How much fun it would be to be a child playing hide-and-seek! I also love the Master bedrooms on fifith ave, privately tucked beyond their own sitting rooms, into the front of the apartments.