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NEW YORK, Mar 16, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- An auction at famed New York hotel The Plaza took in nearly $1.8 million as bidders bought pieces of the historic building that will become condominiums.
Christie's estimated the sale would net about $750,000 but items from paintings to chandeliers to doorknobs sold for much more than their pre-auction value.
The New York Post reports three murals from the hotel's Oyster Bar were originally priced at $500 to $800 but sold for $26,400.
A real estate executive purchased six brass doorknobs for $7,800 for nostalgia's sake. The 39-year-old Upper East Side resident said his parents were married at The Plaza and it's where he had his first drink.
The hotel's Grand Ballroom dance floor, Oak Bar chandeliers and Steinway baby grand piano all sold for more than they were worth, the New York Daily News reports.
When The Plaza reopens in the fall, it will have 282 of the original 805 hotel rooms and the rest will be 182 upscale condominiums.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
