William Lauder just cashed out of one of Park Avenue’s classic trophy pads, unloading his full-floor co-op at 778 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side for $21.3 million, according to public records. The buyers are David Rogers and interior designer Elizabeth Dexter, adding a fresh chapter to a building already thick with boldface names. The deal is the latest in Lauder’s quiet but steady reshuffling of his Manhattan and Palm Beach real estate portfolio.
The 12th-floor spread is very much old-guard Park Avenue: a full-floor residence with five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, two powder rooms, a separate staff wing, a private elevator landing and three wood-burning fireplaces. The sale was recorded at $21.3 million, and the unit’s western-facing rooms look out toward Central Park, as noted by The Real Deal, which also identified Rogers and Dexter as the buyers.
Price Cuts Before Closing
This kind of classic prewar pedigree did not spare the apartment from price reality. Lauder first put the place on the market at roughly $26.95 million at the end of 2024, then trimmed the ask to $25 million in January 2025 before cutting again to $22.5 million late last year, according to listing history. The co-op went into contract on March 3, 2026, and listing records show Corcoran agents Cathy Franklin and Alexis Bodenheimer handled the sale. The listing is archived on StreetEasy.
Part of a Broader Sell-Off
The closing is one piece of a broader strategy shift for Lauder’s New York holdings. He bought the 12th-floor apartment from Ronald Perelman in 2023 for about $24.95 million, according to local sales reports. Last year he also sold a co-op at 998 Fifth Avenue for roughly $37.5 million, a high-profile move in the rarefied top tier of the co-op market; CityRealty has additional context on that transaction.
About the Building
Designed by Rosario Candela and completed in the early 1930s, 778 Park Avenue is a compact, blue-chip prewar co-op known for its full-floor layouts, high ceilings and formal entertaining rooms. Building listings indicate there are 18 apartments and shared amenities that include a gym, a yoga and massage room and a beauty parlor. Floorplan and amenity details are available on Zillow.
Public filings indicate Lauder still appears to own a 14th-floor apartment in the same building, a residence he once listed for $45 million. With the 12th-floor unit now sold, he closes out one chapter at 778 Park Avenue while holding on to at least one other Park Avenue perch.
