After just 14 days on the market, a sub penthouse once owned by flamboyant rocker David Bowie in the colourful Kincoppal building has sold for $8.8m to art dealer Denis Savill.
The exclusive Elizabeth Bay apartment community has been home to a slew of high-profile residents from Danny La Rue and Michael Parkinson to Bowie, who claimed a local pied a terre there from 1983 to 1992.
And informed sources have confirmed exclusively to the Wentworth Courier that it’s the apartment bought by Savill last Thursday, 51/93 Elizabeth Bay Rd, that Bowie had used as his Sydney base for his month-long trips to far north Queensland and the outback during the 80s.
“We knew it was Bowie’s old joint at the time, and it looks exactly the same as when my dad owned it,” the source said.
Bowie had been fascinated by Australia since he was a 12-year-old living in London.
The most recent owner, the late Sylvia Eisman, whose daughter Kathryn is an entertainment journalist who has worked on E! and Sunrise, had bought it for $2.35m in 2009.
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The three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with double parking had been due to go to auction on April 15 with an $8m guide, but Sotheby’s managing director Michael Pallier and his new colleague, Clint Ballard. had it sold on Thursday after receiving the strong $8.8m offer.
“We had a lot of interest in this apartment as soon as we listed it ... the deal was done quite quickly,” Pallier said.
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When Bowie owned the home, it was said to be as ‘out there’ and ‘bizarre’ as the late superstar musician itself. Apparently Bowie had wall to ceiling mirrors installed in the living room and a chest high glass shelf ran around much of the main areas of the apartment.
Later owners of the blue-chip home were less than impressed with Bowie’s home style and his personal touches have all been removed by renovations.
Savill, who sold his Paddington art gallery for $5.3m in 2021 to Amber Symond, wanted the Kincoppal apartment because of of its panoramic water views for himself and partner Anne Clarke.
Steeped in history, the waterfront estate where Kincoppal stands today was once known as Kincoppal estate and housed a grand manor built by grocer turned wealthy landowner and Catholic benefactor John Hughes.
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His daughter Maria transformed the property into a private girls’ school, of which she became mother superior. By the 1980s, however, Mirvac took over the site to build a luxury residential block.
The school, Kincoppal Rose Bay, had long since moved to its present position atop ‘The Esses’ on New South Head Rd, Rose Bay.
Although the sandstone mansion is gone, the gatekeeper’s cottage and tramsheds remain, as do many of the established trees planted by the Hughes family.
The notable waterfront block sits in the prestigious “loop” of Elizabeth Bay Rd and has plenty of perks for today’s residents including a concierge, resort-style facilities and tranquil parklike grounds extending to the water’s edge.
Up on the eighth floor, the sub penthouse has a sweeping harbour vista and one of the largest footprints in the building, offering all the space of a house without the hassle of maintenance.
Beyond a grand entry foyer the spacious residence opens up to a large open-plan living and dining area complete with a full-width balcony.
From inside and out, the apartment captures a panoramic water backdrop of Rushcutters Bay, the Cruising Yacht Club and Clark Island over to Mosman and Manly.
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Originally published as Elizabeth Bay Kincoppal unit that David Bowie once owned bought by art dealer Denis Savill
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