By Howard Morrel & Leslie Hirsch
A duplex at 25 Columbus Circle has changed hands for $18.3 million after attracting multiple competing offers — yet the sale still represents a loss for the seller, who paid $18.8 million for the unit more than a decade ago.
Unit 7273B, situated above the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, traded above its final $18 million asking price following a bidding war, according to Brown Harris Stevens brokers Joshua Arcus and Ileen Schoenfeld, who held the listing. The recorded sale price includes a $190,000 storage unit logged separately in the city register. Select furnishings from the sellers were also included in the transaction.
Years on the Market Before Finding a Buyer
The 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, five-bathroom residence has had a long and winding path to closing. Schoenfeld first brought the apartment to market in 2018 with an asking price just under $29 million. Over the years that followed, the listing cycled on and off the market before returning in April at a significantly reduced $18 million ask. The unit entered contract in February.
Schoenfeld noted that higher offers had been received during earlier listing periods, but the sellers — not yet ready to part with the home — declined them each time. “Everything in life is timing,” she said. When the sellers agreed to the $18 million price point, she recognized it as a turning point. “They love it, and it was very hard.”
The unit offers three bedrooms and five bathrooms, with the flexibility to convert a lower-level space into a fourth bedroom. Additional features include a sauna in the primary bathroom and sweeping views of Central Park.
Identities Shielded by Shell Companies
Both buyer and seller transacted through corporate entities. The buyer, described by Schoenfeld as someone “very familiar” with the building, is registered as Free Dog LLC, an entity linked to a Santa Barbara, California address, with closing documents signed by Brooklyn-based attorneys. The seller, AEH Jay Corp., was also the entity behind a 2020 purchase at Vornado Realty Trust’s 220 Central Park South, where it acquired Unit 69 for nearly $62 million — backed by a $42 million mortgage from Evertrust Bank.
Context Within the Building
The transaction offers a useful benchmark against comparable units in the complex. Unit 7475B, a similar duplex in the building, sold for $12.5 million in February — below its $13.25 million asking price and well beneath its 2010 purchase price of just under $16 million.
The Columbus Circle sale also follows the high-profile off-market trade of Stephen Ross’ former penthouse earlier this year. The Related Companies founder sold Unit PH80 in 2023 for $40 million; it subsequently traded for approximately $51 million. Related Companies completed the mixed-use complex — now known as the Deutsche Bank Center — in the early 2000s. The development formerly served as the headquarters of Time Warner before the company relocated to Hudson Yards in 2019.
Amenities available to condo owners at 25 Columbus Circle include a landscaped terrace, fitness center, swimming pool, and parking garage.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk!
All the best,
Howard Morrel & Leslie Hirsch
Christie’s International Real Estate Group
(212) 956-4823
mha@christiesrealestategroup.com
