137 Riverside Drive   Unit PH

The Original Hearst Quintuplex Penthouse

Immortalized in the classic film Citizen Kane, William Randolph Hearst (born 1863) was a legendary figure wielding great influence on the politics, economy and culture of his time. By 1920, it was said that 1 in 4 Americans read a Hearst newspaper every day and Hearst had assembled a fortune estimated to equal $30 billion in today's dollars. His movie studio, Cosmopolitan Pictures, produced 35 movies, many of them starring Marion Davies, his long time companion. In California he built the magnificent San Simeon Castle where he lavishly entertained the important people of his time.

Before moving to California Hearst lived with his family in New York City where he created another extraordinary home --a precursor to San Simeon. His search for the perfect site to build his splendid and unique Penthouse led him to a hill overlooking the fabled Hudson River, at 137 Riverside Drive, where he leased the top three floors and then, in 1913, bought the whole building for the sum of $950,000. This quintuplex comprised floors eight through twelve and was at that time the largest and most opulent apartment in the city. A top floor medieval tapestry gallery spanned a block long expanse overlooking the river and featured suits of armor, stained glass windows and art taken from European palaces. Other rooms, the Greek Room, English Room and the Julius Caesar Room, were lavishly appointed in the style their names suggest.

The Present

Entering the reception hall from the private elevator landing, the impression of tremendous scale and natural light which characterized the original Hearst Penthouse can be immediately felt in the soaring ceiling heights and extraordinary open views of the Hudson River. The grand living room with fireplace opens to a south-facing terrace which also connects to the kitchen. Along the western wall, the living room, which can be configured to accommodate a large dining room table as well,