The world's richest man, Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim, has bought the Duke-Semans Mansion in New York for $44 million from a former Soviet immigrant, the Luxist site said.
Former cab driver Tamir Sapir, who made his fortune trading fertilizer, listed the seven-story Beaux Arts townhouse, the only private mansion left on Fifth Avenue, for $50 million but Slim managed to knock $6 million off the asking price.
Sapir bought the mansion from relatives of U.S. heiress Doris Duke for $40 million in 2006.
"The 20,000-square-foot mansion, built in 1901, currently has a doctor's office in the basement, a five-story main residence, a penthouse duplex on top, 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and 11 wood-burning fireplaces," Luxus said.
RIA Novosti
