A co-operative apartment unit situated at 101 Central Park West, once owned by the distinguished Peabody Award-winning producer, Katherine “Kayce” Freed Jennings, was successfully sold last month at a price exceeding the original asking amount.
Unit 11B was purchased for slightly over $11 million, as confirmed by property records, representing a modest 5% increase from the initial $10.5 million listing price. Remarkably, The Turtle Trust emerged as the swift purchaser, with the unit entering into a contract in May after merely one month on the market, as indicated in a StreetEasy listing. Lisa and Bonnie Chajet from Coldwell Banker Warburg handled the listing but chose not to offer any comments on the sale. Regrettably, Jennings has yet to respond to inquiries for comment.
This three-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom residence in Lincoln Square boasts a spacious 30-foot living room adorned with three expansive windows that provide enchanting views of Central Park. The room is further enhanced by a wood-burning fireplace. The primary suite offers panoramic vistas of the park and Midtown, while the bathroom features double sinks, a shower, and a separate tub. The building’s amenities encompass 24-hour doormen, a fitness center, and the services of a resident manager.
Notably, this building has a history of attracting distinguished residents. In 2019, Georgina Bloomberg, the daughter of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, acquired a 12th-floor unit for $10 million, marking her family’s second apartment in the building at the time.
Katherine “Kayce” Freed Jennings amassed two decades of experience as a producer at ABC News, contributing to shows like Nightline and World News Tonight, among others. She was a part of The Documentary Group, a production company she co-founded in 2006, and worked alongside her late husband on World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Her career also involved collaborations with notable figures such as Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer, and Barbara Walters. Jennings garnered prestigious Peabody Awards for her role as a senior producer on the documentaries “Out of Control: AIDS in Black America” and “Babyland.”
The sale of Jennings’ co-op property above the asking price occurs at a time when co-operative apartments are facing challenges in terms of popularity, particularly in comparison to condominiums. This shift can be attributed to the often obscure and intrusive nature of co-op boards, which possess the authority to reject potential buyers without providing a rationale and impose an array of extensive regulations, such as restrictions on renovation schedules.
