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Joan Rivers Penthouse Sells For $28 Million To ‘Middle East Royalty’ [Video]

By Maat van Uitert
Published on: 03:08 PST, Jul 4, 2015

A home that Joan Rivers herself once said was so opulent that it was fit for Marie Antoinette “if she had the money” has sold for $28 million to an undisclosed member of “Middle East Royalty” by Rivers’ daughter, Melissa.

The penthouse was on and off the market for years, but after Joan’s untimely death, it was placed permanently for sale since “Melissa has no interest in living in New York,” a source close Melissa Rivers divulged to the New York Daily News.

“She’s got a son in school in L.A. She’s got ‘Fashion Police’ in L.A. She’s got a life in L.A.”

The penthouse reportedly sold for its asking price after several offers were presented.

The lavish triplex penthouse located in the heart of New York City was marketed by real estate broker Leighton Candler of the Corcoran Group, according to the Daily Mail, on behalf of Joan Rivers’ estate, headed by daughter Melissa Rivers. The penthouse, located in a Gilded Age building right off Fifth Avenue at 1 East 62nd Street, was originally part of the mansion owned by Alice and John S. Drexel. It was designed in 1903 by prominent Gilded Age architect Horace Trumbauer, reports Forbes. The building was converted into condos in the 1930s.

The Daily News reports that Joan Rivers purchased the penthouse in 1988 and had extensive renovations done on the property, although she kept some of the original details intact. Joan lived there until her unexpected death last year while receiving a routine endoscopy.

The property was lavish enough for royalty, and according to the New York Daily News, “5,100-square-foot, four-bedroom penthouse is the entertaining spaces, which include a huge former ballroom and music room. The two Louis XIV-inspired rooms have soaring 23-foot ceilings, crystal chandeliers and antique columns. The spaces can accommodate a whopping 125 people.”

Friends and fans of Joan Rivers were always impressed with the property. Each year, Rivers hosted a Thanksgiving feast, a tradition her daughter carried on last year. Journalist Paula Froelich wrote about the party for the Daily Beast, and according to the New York Daily News, said “the best part of the evening is always the annual tradition where everyone has to stand up and say what they are thankful for.”

But Joan Rivers forbade her guests from saying they were thankful for being invited to the penthouse, telling everyone, “No thanking me for being at this table or being invited! That’s b——- — not allowed!”

[Image credit: Robin Marchant/Getty Images]

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