Philip Falcone, the man behind Harbinger Capital Partners, one of the activist hedge funds that recently acquired a large stake in the New York Times, has outdone his partner, noted vagilante Scott Galloway. Falcone and his wife have officially purchased the Guccione mansion, the Post tells us today, for $49 million. In cash. The townhouse, which is on East 67th Street between Fifth and Madison, has 27 rooms, including a massive full-floor master bedroom with a study, a solarium and private terrace, a theater, a wine cellar, a “dance” room, a garden with a greenhouse, a sauna, servants’ quarters, eleven bathrooms, eight fireplaces, and, according to the Observer, a “massive, shimmering Roman-style pool.” Still, “It’s odd to talk about houses like this,” the Corcoran agent who previously handled the listing told the Observer, “but that house had an odd energy to it … Whenever people brought in children, they were ready to leave.” Well, yeah. Think of the things that must have gone on in that pool.
THE $49M TOWN HOUSE [NYP]
Bob Guccione’s Old Mansion, Despite ‘Odd Energy,’ Closes for $49 M. [NYO]