The Widow Evans Triplex Goes to Contract

SELLER: Bonnie Pfeifer Evans
LOCATION: Park Avenue (at 79th Street), New York, NY
PRICE: $29,500,000 (asking)
SIZE: 4 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: This triplex penthouse on Park Avenue in the 70's is a one of a kind, fabulous fourteen room apartment in one of New York's most distinguished pre-war co-operatives. With terraces on the 16th and 18th floors, the apartment has the rare luxury of outdoor space off both the entertaining and private bedroom floors. There are open city views north, south, east and west with a wonderful vista of Central Park and the West Side skyline from the terraces and west facing windows. The setting for some of the city's most glamorous parties, the public rooms in the apartment are generous and elegant and have a wonder flow, making it ideal for large scale formal entertaining. Sunny and cheerful during the day, at night the twinkling city lights and romantic terraces make the apartment magical. With high ceilings and details such as hand-painted tiles lining the entrance gallery walls and an exquisite mantle and mirror surround the living room fireplace, the triplex has enormous charisma.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Some ten years ago Mister Charles Evans, the brother of hedonistic ladee luvvin' uber producer Robert Evans, and the founder of the Evan Picone clothing label, real estate developer, and one of the producers of the film Tootsie, married an ex-moe-del named Bonnie Pfeifer. Together they lived in wedded bliss atop one of New York's more exclusive co-op buildings at 895 Park Avenue in a lavish and gargantuan 14 room triplex apartment with four bedrooms and 5 full and 2 half bathrooms, a count that includes the uncommonly generously sized staff bedroom and bath located off the kitchen.

In June of 2007, 75 year old Mister Evans bought the farm, may he rest in peace, and according to a blurb in Page Six , poor Mrs. Pfeifer Evans was left, well, poor. We can't verify the truth, or even truthiness of the report, but according to the well read and regarded gossip column, Mister Evans left millions to charity but did not "even provide an apartment for the former model, who is now in the market for a rental." Ouch!

So what's a resourceful widow to do? That's right babies, young Mrs. Pfeifer Evans got her real estate license and put the three floor building topper on the market for a mouth watering $29,500,000. A second blurb in Page Six quoted Miz Pfeifer Evans proclaiming that she hoped "to represent any buyer" of the sky high priced penthouse and pocket the commission. Seems fair.

Your Mama hopes Miz Pfeifer Evans did indeed represent the as yet unidentified buyer who reportedly went to contract to purchase the triplex just 28 days after it landed on the market with a pound of publicity. Now children, what do y'all think that says about the state of the high end market in New York City?

Your Mama would like to direct the attentions of the children to a few of the apartment's more notable features. First we would like the children to take note of the vast and wonderfully colorful living room on the 17th floor which includes a wood burning fireplace surrounded by a soo-blime and intricate example of Verre Eglomisé, a painstaking, regal, and need we say hideously expensive decorative arts process in which precious metals are gilded onto the reverse side of glass. Your Mama wonders if this moment of spectacular in the Evans' living room was done by the talented New York based artist Miriam Ellner.

Goose pimples cover our arms and legs over that blue "garden room/library" on the 16th floor. Yes, the table cloth is vile and the chandelier perhaps a mite under scaled, but otherwise this room with it's gorgeously austere monochromatic color scheme, tone on tone wall mural, and shiver inducing marble floors perfectly fits our vision of what a modern and obscenely expensive Park Avenue penthouse ought to look like. Those walls look like they are covered chalk children, and they are magnificent. Mag-ni-fi-cent.

A blue and gold colored media room glows on the 18th floor where impeccable brocade and velvet 1930s furnishings nicely reference the Art Deco architecture of 895 Park Avenue. But even more impressive perhaps than all those dee-luxe vintage chairs and divans, is that exquisite blue Rothko. Somebody please pass the smelling salts.

Fortunately a private elevator was installed to access all three floors without giving the owner a damn coronary climbing up and down all those stars between the well equipped 16th floor kitchen and the 18th floor master bedroom that includes a private study, a couple of walk in closets and access to the terrific terrace that overlooks Central Park.

Lastly, let's not forget the huge desirability and value of a terrace of any size in the heart of Manhattan, and this apartment comes not with one, but two large and spectacular terraces that look towards the green carpet of Central Park to the west, one serving the public rooms on the 16th floor and one serving the private rooms on the 18th floor.

The glorious Art Deco extravaganza at 895 Park Avenue is no stranger to high profile residents. Philanthropist Marcia Riklis, who became well known in real estate gossip circles when in 2005 she offered her 12 bedroom Southampton home up for a summer rental with a staggering $950,000 Memorial Day to Labor Day asking price, shacks up at 895, and before she made her final trip to Bergdorf Goodman, the formidable and rail thin socialite Nan Kempner and her huzband Thomas occupied a striking 16 room duplex for many, meh-nee years.

Whatever the case with Mister Evans' multi-million dollar estate, Your Mama sincerely hopes that Miz Pfeifer Evans has made enough clammage selling this triplex to buy herself a nice little c0-op off Madison Avenue and that all her Park Avenue princess friends don't act bitchy and ignore her now that she doesn't have oceans of cash. It could happen.