This buyer is flying high.
Fifth Avenue’s highest-perched penthouse has just sold for $11.5 million, Gimme Shelter has learned.
The smashing aerie is at 520 Fifth Ave. Hovering 880 feet above Midtown Manhattan, it comes with 360-degree views of the city, from the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building to both rivers and Central Park.
The tower itself is 1,002 feet high, which makes it the tallest residential tower along Fifth Avenue. The penthouse had been in contract — at its full asking price — since January 2025, just months after it hit the market in November 2024.
The full-floor nest stands on the building’s 80th floor. At 2,562 square feet, the two-bedroom penthouse opens from a private elevator landing into a 31-foot long entry gallery, which leads to a corner great room.
Design details include oversized arched windows to frame the skyline views and nearly 13-foot-high ceilings, along with 7-inch-wide white oak-planked floors.
A chef’s kitchen boasts Taj Mahal quartzite countertops, and white lacquer and walnut cabinetry. There’s also a main bedroom suite with a large walk-in closet and a spa-like bath.
Interior designer Lisa McDennon, who has been hired by the new owner, told Gimme that “one of the most compelling challenges of this penthouse is what I would call a beautiful responsibility — designing a home that truly honors and elevates its world-class views.”
“As a legacy property with a vantage point that is virtually unparalleled, every element must feel spectacular and worthy of its setting,” McDennon added.
As she begins the project, one of her first selections, she says, was “a gem-toned acrylic soaking tub, centered within a gracefully arched window overlooking the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty — designed as an experience that is as breathtaking and unforgettable as the skyline itself.
The listing broker was Lynne Mazin, of Compass.
While Mazin would not comment on the buyer’s identity, she said that he “has a deep appreciation of the historical fabric of New York City and the evolution of our people and history. It means something to him. He’s a true historian, and that’s why this building resonated so deeply.”
