Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
WASHINGTON — The former residence of Canada’s consul general in New York has sold after nearly two years on the market.
Global Affairs Canada has not yet confirmed the sale price but in March said it had received an offer on the residence.
One realtor website said the five-bedroom apartment on Park Avenue sold for US$8.05 million on May 11. Another website said the price was that amount in March, around the time Global Affairs Canada confirmed it had received an offer.
The apartment was originally listed for US$9.5 million — C$13 million — in August 2024. Senior government officials said at the time that the sale was necessary because the residence needed millions of dollars in renovations.
That same year, Global Affairs Canada bought a new luxury condominium for C$9 million to serve as the official residence for its consul general in New York.
The purchase led to international headlines after some New York websites initially reported the condo deal was done for King Charles because the property’s deed said it was sold to “His Majesty the King in right of Canada.”
It also faced backlash in Canada with Conservatives saying the new apartment, located on “Billionaires’ Row” near Central Park, was wasteful and opulent at a time when Canadians were struggling to pay their bills.
In response, Canada’s consul general in New York Tom Clark was called to testify in a House of Commons committee about the apartments. The former CTV journalist said he had nothing to do with the purchase of the new apartment, nor the sale of the old residence.
The Park Avenue apartment was initially purchased in 1961 and last renovated two decades later.
The committee heard that it wasn’t in compliance with Canada’s accessibility legislation and the co-operative board in charge of the building had imposed restrictions on events that could be held on site.
There was also a lack of separation between family and work spaces.
Concerns about the residence were first raised in 2014 and there were plans for renovations. Those were put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee heard that renovation costs significantly rose and were ultimately not expected to solve some fundamental issues with the apartment.
Government officials at the time said purchasing the new apartment in Steinway Tower, a building known as the world’s thinnest skyscraper, would ultimately save Canadian taxpayers money.
The Park Avenue apartment, however, did not sell quickly. Online realtor websites show the price first dropped in June 2025, and then again to US$7.9 million last September.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2026.
— With files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
