New Year's Mish Match Catch Up: The Rybolovlev Girl

Just before the winter holidays property gossips around the globe went plum berserk with the undeniably astonishing news that Russian multi-billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev dropped a stomach-knotting and record-busting $88,000,000 to purchase a posh penthouse pad atop the lordly, limestone-clad 15 Central Park West building in New York City. The nearly 7,000 square foot park view penthouse and its gigantic wrap around terrace, designed by Robert A.M. Stern and decorated in high style by Mica Ertegun, was reportedly purchased for his flaxen-haired and equestrian-minded 22-year old daughter Ekaterina to use as a "crash pad" when she visits The Big Apple.

Imagine children, being an otherwise low-profile 22-year old beau monde heiress who reportedly studies an unnamed subject in an unnamed part of the United States and owns an eighty-eight million dollar pied-a-terre where the monthly maintenance alone is probably more than a minimum wage domestic worker earns in an entire year? It boggles the mind really, don't it?

Anyways, soon came rumor and report that the fertilizer oligarch and mining magnate, who is in the midst of an acrimonious (and expensive) dee-vorce and just acquired a majority stake in the AS Monaco professional soccer team, snatched up a second apartment in the building to house young Miss Rybolovleva's traveling security detail. Of course, children, these lavish livers don't buy staff apartments like ordinary rich people. No way José. Instead they purchase, according to various New York City real estate chroniclers, a low-floor, two bedroom and two-point-five bathroom apartment with a hefty even for most multi-millionaires $8,395,000 price tag.

Listing information for the apartment in question shows the third floor unit features chevron pattern hardwood floors, over-sized windows, marble sheathed bathrooms, 10 closets, walnut cabinetry in the well-equipped galley-style eat-in kitchen, and a laundry closet in the foyer. Believe it or not, sugar bombs, a laundry closet in the foyer is better than not having one at all in a New York City apartment, even in an eight million dollar New York City apartment. Common charges and taxes run $3,782 per month, a lot of money by most standards but not so much for a billionaire or an eight and some million dollar apartment.

Subsequent to reports on the (alleged) purchase of a second apartment at 15 Central Park West Mister Rybolovlev's official spokesperson released a statement to the New York Observer that reads:

"Neither Dmitry Rybolovlev, nor his daughter Ekaterina Rybolovleva, nor any companies connected to them have purchased apartment 3F at 15 Central Park West, New York City. The reports suggesting that they have are completely inaccurate. There have never been any plans or even any discussions about purchasing this apartment."

Interestingly, and perhaps or maybe not coincidentally, apartment 3F no longer appears listed as "in contract" on the real estate helper site StreetEasy. Make of that what you will dollies.

listing photos and floor plan: Brown Harris Stevens