Billionaire Carlos Slim re-lists Fifth Avenue Townhouse for $80M

It stands tall in one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods for NYC's elite and is one of the last remnants of the luxurious mansions along Fifth Avenue facing Central Park that remain in private hands.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, formerly the world’s richest man, has re-listed his Upper East Side mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue for $80 million, according to the New York Post.

Jorge Lopez of Compass has the listing, which is the most expensive in the city, according to the outlet.

Slim, who is Mexico’s richest man with a net worth of nearly $91 billion, originally listed the property, known as the Benjamin N. Duke House, for the same price in May 2015 before taking it off the market in early 2016.

He originally purchased the property from Russian oil billionaire Tamir Sapir in 2010 for $44 million.

Built between 1899 and 1921, the 20,000-square-foot limestone and red-brick townhouse directly faces the Central Park and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The seven-level mansion, which spans 27 feet along Fifth Avenue and 100 feet of frontage facing 82nd Street, has high ceilings, marble fireplaces, ornate mouldings, large windows and a terrace, according to the listing on StreetEasy.

The listing, which doesn’t specify the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, adds that the mansion can be used as a private residence, or be converted into a gallery, store or foundation.

If the property fetches $80 million, it would be the most expensive townhouse sale ever in New York City, according to the Post. The current record is the $59 million sale of Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola’s 20,000-square-foot townhouse at 12 E. 69th Street to hedge fund magnate Alan Howard in 2021.

The eight-bedroom, 10 full bathroom mansion, built between 1899 and 1901, boasts city skyline and Central Park views from the terrace and rooftop and would earn Slim close to double the amount he paid for the place in 2010

Numbers 1006, 1007, and 1008 weren't so lucky. 'The two houses at numbers 1006 and 1007 were demolished in 1972, amid strong protest, at a time when the Landmarks Preservation Commission was unable to hold public hearings and landmark proposals,' according to a LPC report.

Meanwhile, 'the much-altered house at number 1008 was demolished in February [1977].'

'A true architectural masterpiece, it has been designated a New York City Landmark,' its listing reads.