BUYERS: Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond

LOCATION: New York City, NY

PRICE: $9,508,888

SIZE: (approx.) 3,000 square feet, 3-4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMA’S NOTES: Funny lady Tina Fey, the first female head writer on “Saturday Night Live” and an all around comedy genre powerhouse, has shelled out $9,508,888, as was first spotted by the celebrity property gossips at The Observer, for a house-sized co-operative apartment located directly above an equally sized one she and her three-time Emmy winning composer/producer husband Jeff Richmond scooped up almost six years ago, in April 2009, for $3.4 million. The prevailing assumption among property gossips is that the two units, which we guesstimate at about 3,000-square-feet apiece and cost the couple a total of $12,908,888, will be combined at substantial expense into one, suburban macmansion-sized duplex. Besides the fact that the purchase essentially doubles the amount of square footage available to the Fey-Richmond family, what’s most interesting is that the couple appears to have been absolutely desperate to acquire the apartment as evidenced by the $2,008,888 they paid over the official $7.5 million asking price. That’s right, butter beans, the couple were so ravenous for the apartment they coughed up two million smackers over the asking price for the four-bedroom and 4.5-bathroom residence.

Listing details show the graciously proportioned and expensively renovated apartment, which carries heavy-duty monthly maintenance charges of $6,321, is in “Triple mint” condition in the “best, pre war doorman, full service building on West End Avenue.” The apartment features a private elevator landing, nearly two dozen newly installed windows, two fireplaces, a private laundry room, and — still somewhat rare in many of even the most distinguished and pricey pre-war apartment houses in Manhattan — central air conditioning. In addition to a vast, 700-plus-square-foot corner living room that has a sliver view of the Hudson River and an adjoining formal dining room that will easily accommodate 10 or 12 diners, the apartment includes an updated center island kitchen that’s open to both a breakfast area with built-in buffer and a cozily proportioned family room. We imagine the layout will be substantially altered when combined with the apartment downstairs but at the time of the purchase the unit was configured with two en suite guest/family bedrooms and a library/office off the living room that also has a private bath and, hence, could easily be pressed into use as a third guest or family bedroom. The master suite, well located for maximum privacy at the extreme rear of the apartment, encompasses an entrance vestibule, ample corner bedroom with fireplace, a walk-in closet plus a separate wardrobe-lined dressing room, and a bathroom with two windows, two sinks, soaking tub and separate shower stall.

The deal was brokered by Rosalie Liebman at Douglas Elliman.