Duke of Lenny

A $50 Million Price Tag, and Still a Fixer-Upper? - New York Times: "But $50 million got people talking when relatives of Doris Duke, the late tobacco heiress, put the Duke Semans Mansion, a 20,000-square-foot Beaux-Arts residence, on the market in May. The 1901 townhouse is said to be the last great private mansion on Fifth Avenue - and at that price would be the most expensive private residence ever sold in the city.

Lenny Kravitz, the rock star and budding designer, has visited the house twice, said Mamdouh Nasr, the owner of an ice cream truck that has parked for 28 years on the corner of 82nd Street and Fifth Avenue, just steps from the mansion's front door.

To Mr. Nasr, it's clear evidence that the musician, who enjoys buying and fixing up real estate, is buying the home. 'To this guy time is money,' Mr. Nasr said. 'So why he comes inside two times?'

The Semans family, Duke descendents who own the property, are negotiating with Mr. Kravitz on the sale, according to a person informed of the deal who asked not to be identified because there is no signed deal."