JFK's NYC Penthouse Just Sold for $11 Million—Here's Everything We Know About It

The address 35 East 76th Street—despite its sleek black exterior and gleaming gold doors—once served as New York’s “White House” for the nation’s 35th president. A discreet backdrop for briefings, breakfast meetings, and stolen moments away from the press, the Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was long trusted to house American political royalty. It became a home base for John F. Kennedy and his famously stylish wife, Jackie, throughout his congressional career in the 1950s and into his presidency in the early 1960s.

Their penthouse apartment—once owned by hotel heiress and film philanthropist Karen Pritzker—has now sold in what’s reported by The Wall Street Journal to have been a five-minute deal.

Spanning roughly 3,000 square feet, the residence is a sun-drenched sanctuary. It retains the original oriel bay window installed during the Kennedy era, along with additional floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park and a dedicated sun parlor—because there’s no such thing as too much natural light.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the unit was snapped up by Expedia Group executive and IAC chairman Barry Diller, who has lived at the Carlyle for more than three decades. According to reports, Diller moved quickly, securing the historic 34th-floor duplex from Pritzker for $11 million in a matter of minutes.

The illustrious penthouse is, quite literally, woven into the Kennedy family legacy. Beyond the famed oriel window, the residence features an enviable breakfast nook with sweeping park views, rumored to have been designed by Jackie herself. Yet the home holds far more than elegant details and thoughtful design.

Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy exits the Carlyle Hotel on January 8, 1960.

In the wake of JFK’s sudden and tragic death on November 22, 1963, the former first lady brought her two children here, seeking refuge from the public eye. The family remained in the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath apartment for nearly 10 months, using the space as a private retreat to grieve. During that time, the Carlyle’s famously refined lobby was, at least in part, transformed into a makeshift playground for Caroline and John Jr.

The 35-story, 192-unit building has remained a New York icon long after Jackie and her children left the penthouse for the 15-bedroom Fifth Avenue apartment that would become her permanent home. Still, the Carlyle continued to hold a place in the family’s orbit—Robert F. Kennedy notably established residency there to secure his right to vote in the 1965 New York City mayoral election.

Long praised for its discretion, the hotel has remained a favored hideaway for high-profile guests and political figures alike. Its roster of regulars reads like a who’s who of cultural and royal history, including Princess Diana—who reportedly favored the “Royal Suite” on the 22nd floor—along with David Bowie, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Tom Cruise, and even Marilyn Monroe.

Here’s a look back through photos of the Kennedys at the Carlyle Hotel.