Barbara Walters’s Classic Upper East Side Home Just Listed for $19.75M

In her long career, broadcast journalist Barbara Walters was revered by viewers and public figures alike. A trailblazer, she became world-famous for her influential interviews with people like Fidel Castro, Katherine Hepburn, and Margaret Thatcher. While she often traveled the globe for work, Walters lived in this full-floor Fifth Avenue apartment for the past 30 years until her passing at the end of 2022. It’s now for sale asking $19.75 million, pictured in the listing exactly as she had it.

From the unit’s circa-1925 building and Upper East Side location to its 10-foot-high ceilings and views, this residence is the epitome of classic Manhattan sophistication. The living room, dining room, and library flow into each other through generous doorways, providing an elegant floor plan for entertaining. It’s no question the home hosted significant people throughout Walters’ decades here, with the listing page mentioning “wonderful dinner parties and meetings” specifically.

A New York City sight that will never go out of style, Central Park can be seen from most of the apartment’s living areas. Waking up in the wood-paneled primary bedroom suite, you’re again treated to delightful park views that change gracefully with the seasons. While there are five bedrooms in total across the traditional spread, the primary is a true sanctuary with its own wood-burning fireplace plus two bathrooms and plenty of closet space.

The property has a sense of peace and privacy about it, so it’s no wonder Walters enjoyed it for so long. There are only 13 units in the white-glove, Italian Renaissance-style limestone building designed almost a century ago by architect Nathan Korn.

To follow in the late journalism powerhouse’s footsteps, buyers can contact Alexa Lambert of Compass.