By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The Duke-Semans mansion, located right across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was sold to the world's richest man for $44 million.
The mansion, located at 82nd Street. and Fifth Avenue, was bought by billionaire Carlos Slim. Sim beat out a prospective Russian buyer who bid $37 million for the swanky piece of Manhattan real estate, the New York Post reported.
The 109-year-old property was said to be the last private mansion on Fifth Avenue, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Slim, whose family Forbes reports is worth $53.5 billion, also owns a Manhattan office building and an interest in The New York Times.
The townhouse was sold by former taxi driver Tamir Sapir, who bought it in 2006 for $40 million after becoming rich from oil investments.
