Here’s a deal for the books.
The longtime Upper East Side home of the late American writer Joan Didion is in contract.
The spread was last asking $5.75 million — a significant price cut from its original $7.5 million ask last year — and underwent a broker swap in late 2023. The final sale price isn’t yet known.
Didion, a literary giant who wrote about both the political, in books like “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” and the personal — reflecting on the deaths of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, and their daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, in “The Year of Magical Thinking” — was also a member of her building’s co-op board.
Didion died in 2021, at age 87. Her estate auction netted more than $2 million for items like her Celine sunnies, going for $27,000, according to Curbed, which first noted that the apartment at 30 E. 71st St. had found a buyer.
The late celebrated author Joan Didion. Corbis via Getty Images
One of four bedrooms inside the co-op. Evan Joseph
There are 11 rooms inside the Lenox Hill abode. Evan Joseph
The fifth-floor dwelling sports a chef’s kitchen; Didion herself was passionate about cooking. Evan Joseph
A view of the layout. Evan Joseph
Perks inside also include beamed ceilings. Evan Joseph
Both Didion and Dunne passed away in this home — the latter in 2003 at age 71 of a heart attack.
While the pre-war co-op is in need of repair, it has “good bones” and benefited from the lower price and “lovely” staging, sources told Gimme Shelter. Design details include herringbone floors, beamed ceilings, moldings, wide hallways, oversize windows and, aptly, lots of bookshelves.
The spacious fifth-floor unit also boasts a chef’s kitchen — Didion was known for her love of cooking — and a large main bedroom with city views and a windowed bath. There’s also a woodburning fireplace with a carved mantel in the open living room and a wet bar in the adjacent dining area, along with a den-slash-library and home office.
“The apartment gets lots of light and is perfect for a family or empty nesters,” a source said.
The 12-story building dates to 1928. Amenities include a renovated lobby, a gym, plus bike and otherwise private storage.
The listing broker is Jennifer Kaufman Stillman of Douglas Elliman.