Manhattan Penthouse with Ties to F. Scott Fitzgerald Lists for $4.5 Million
The Midtown residence was also once home to poet and literary critic Dorothy Parker
A historic duplex penthouse in midtown Manhattan with ties to literary greats F. Scott Fitzgerald and Dorothy Parker is on the market for $4.5 million. The 1929 pre-war co-op is located at 444 East 52nd Street, within a 13-story building that features an Art Deco edifice designed by DePace & Juster. The building, which houses the nearly 3,000-square-foot three-bedroom, five-and-a-half bath residence, also features Gothic and Tudor elements.
Legendary poet, writer, and critic Parker lived in the home in the 1930s, and it is believed that she may have chosen this particular building because her close friend, drama critic Alexander Woollcott, lived just next door at The Beekman Campanile. Fitzgerald, another friend of Parker’s, was also known to spend time at this apartment as a guest.
On the penthouse’s upper level are hand-pegged oak floors, 10-foot-high ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, French doors in every room, and a 1,400-square-foot wraparound terrace. Additionally, this level features a 60-foot-long arched gallery, a stately dining room, a chef’s kitchen swathed in mahogany and granite, and a powder room complete with a skylight.
The first level is focused on privacy and space, and includes a sprawling primary suite with two separate windowed bathrooms, custom mahogany closets, and a dressing room. The two bedrooms on this floor each boast an en-suite bath, while one also has its own fireplace. There is also additional storage, a laundry area, and access through a building elevator and a private internal staircase. Residents are also offered a live-in resident manager, elevator attendants, full-time door staff, and more.
Music executive Mel Lewinter purchased the residence in the 1970s and remains the current owner. The home is listed by Brown Harris Stevens, with agents Bonnie Goldner, Paul Anand, and Theron Smith III.
