Canadian Government Buys NYC Billionaires’ Row Apartment for Consulate General

The Canadian government has purchased a Billionaire’s Row condo to serve as the new official residence of the Consulate General of Canada in New York, paying $6.6 million for a 3,600-square-foot unit at 111 West 57th Street, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada confirmed.

The unit, purchased directly from developer JDS Development, initially hit the market asking $10.7 million in 2022 when the SHoP Architects-designed tower was completed, but was last asking $6.8 million, according to StreetEasy.

The buyer is named in records as His Majesty The King In Right of Canada Represented By The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to Canada’s foreign affairs department. The deed was signed by Robert McCubbing, a commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada in New York, which is under Canada’s global affairs department.

The unit will replace the current official residence of the Consulate General located at 550 Park Avenue, which was purchased in 1961 and needed significant renovation, the spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said.

“Considering the high renovation costs for the current residence and the value of the property, Global Affairs Canada recommended a relocation to a new, smaller, more suitable, and more economical apartment,” the spokesperson said.

The Consulate General’s residence is used for diplomatic events such as receptions, briefings, and meetings with business and political leaders, per the spokesperson.

The square-shaped apartment on the 11th floor was the last remaining unit in the landmarked Steinway Hall building, which makes up the base of the newly built tower, according to a spokesperson for JDS. The apartment includes three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, plus a powder room off the primary bedroom, and a study off the kitchen.

The 84-story tower is not only New York’s narrowest skyscraper, but one of its tallest, standing 1,489 feet including a 300-foot decorative crown. It was completed in 2022. The most expensive deal in the building thus far was the $52.9 million sale of a 61st-floor penthouse unit with a double-height living room, followed by another sale above $50 million.

Also on Billionaire’s Row, billionaire Vlad Doronin just purchased the five-story penthouse at Aman New York, the building he developed, for $135 million, in the city’s most expensive deal so far this year. That edged out a penthouse deal at Central Park South that closed for $115 million last month. 

The Real Deal first reported the 111 West 57 deal, attributing the sale to an entity tied to King Charles III. The king became the constitutional monarch of Canada when he succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, to the British throne in 2022. 

Douglas Elliman’s Erin Boisson Aries and Thomas Aabo, who represented the buyer, declined to comment for this story. The Consulate General of Canada in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Update: This story has been updated with comments and confirmation from the Consulate General of Canada in New York.