$40 Million Buys Ex-Cabby His Own Corner of 5th Avenue
A former cabdriver who struck it rich in Russian oil and went on to invest in Manhattan real estate has signed a contract to buy a Fifth Avenue mansion for $40 million.
The price for the 1901 Beaux-Arts confection on the corner of 82nd Street opposite the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the highest ever paid for a Manhattan town house, though it is less than the original asking price of $50 million.