Billionaire Roman Abramovich aims to build the largest single family home in Manhattan despite his visa challenges and federal agents snatching assets of his associates, ultimately discouraging him from investing into real estate. Instead, Abramovich plans to build his six-story house that will integrate three separate townhouses into a single-family home consisting of 31,500 square-feet.
New York Post obtained Abramovich’s plans, in which they revealed earlier this week. Abramovich started purchasing adjacent home on East 75th Street as early as 2014, and now owns numbers 9, 11, 13 and 15 – although he only intends to use the first three for this particular project. Several of the homes are expected to keep their 1800s-era look on the front, while the back will be transformed into a glass-paneled wall that looks out nearly 30 feet onto a landscaped backyard.
According to the plan, there will be at least five bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, 17-foot wide staircases with one circular staircase, a master suite that almost takes up an entire floor (as well as five walk-in closets) and an indoor/outdoor pool. The top level will be made specifically for a rooftop garden.
Aside from the rooms and garden, Abramovich will also double up on certain features, including two elevators, two kitchens, two studies and a two-story atrium designed to be an art gallery.
Forbes reports that a renovation expert, interviewed by the Post,estimated that the cost for all the construction is nearly $100 million, and it is quite likely Abramovich will be the one paying the bill. However, transactions from September 14, 2018 showed he actually transferred all four properties to his ex-wife Darya “Dasha” Zhukova, for a combined value of $92.3 million.
Currently Dasha and their two children are living in a townhouse nearby that is owned by a company connected to Russian aluminum billionaire Oleg Deripaska.The property was seized by federal agents last week due to Seripaska being on the sanctions list for allegations of bribery, money-laundering, racketeering and murder.
In addition to this challenge, Abramovich is also having difficulties in obtaining visas for both Switzerland (because of accusations of money laundering) and Britain (because of “increased diplomatic tensions” between Russia and the UK).Despite his challenges, he is proceeding with his lavish plans for the $45 million London penthouse near the stadium of the Chelsea football team that he owns.
