Plaza Suite Sweetens Divorce Pot

 Billionaire real estate developer Harry Macklowe’s attorneys claim Linda’s condo in The Plaza is actually worth $107 million, tagging it the most expensive apartment in New York City as the estranged couple continued to fight for an edge in their Manhattan Supreme Court divorce trial on Thursday.

 The fought-over apartment, unit 710,  has five bedrooms, and apparently an extremely large master bedroom.

 “It’s probably the largest bedroom I have ever seen in my career,” said Jonathan Miller, CEO of real estate consulting agency Samuel Miller Inc. and expert witness testifying on behalf of Linda Macklowe.

 According to Miller, the apartment is “two-thirds or three-quarters” of empty space, mainly to resemble an art gallery.

 Also on the line is the Macklowe couple’s art collection, which is worth $625 million or $1 billion– depending on whom you ask.

 The art enthusiast wife’s attorneys claimed her collection, which includes Warhol, Picasso, Debuffet and Alberto Giacometti is worth $625 million, while the defendants argue that Giacometti’s “The Nose” sculpture is valued at $70 million alone and that the entire collection is worth  $1 billion.

 “[The Macklowes] put together the top 10 art collection of its kind in private hands,” said Elizabeth Von Habsburg, director at Winston Art Group, largest art appraisal firm in the United States, who was called as a witness by the defense team.

 Von Habsburg testified that the value of the collection is more valuable after being in the hands of the Macklowes. “There’s a premium when a collection is extraordinary like this,” said Von Habsburg. “It’s known to belong to a great collector.”

 Justice Laura Drager is there to help the couple “split their assets 50/50”, but it’s hard to do so when $2 billion is at stake and both parties want to walk away with more than the other.