A pricey bite of the Big Apple: New York town house complete with panic room, recording studio, pool and movie theater to become most expensive in the city as it goes into contract for $80MILLION

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A New York City townhouse with a price tag of $80million is set to become the most expensive townhouse ever sold in the city's history.

The almost 20,000-square-foot townhouse, located at 12 E. 69th Street, is said to be in contract for $80million, the Wall Street Journal reports. 

If the deal closes at that price, it will be the most expensive townhouse sold in NYC, according to appraiser Jonathan Miller, bumping down the current holder of that title, the Harkness Mansion on E. 75th Street.

This 20,000-square-foot townhouse on NYC's Upper East Side is in contract to be sold for a whopping $80million

The townhouse is currently owned by billionaire Vincent and Teresa Viola (center and right), pictured with son Travis in 2013

Among the townhouse's many lavish amenities is a two-story movie theater that his been upholstered in red velvet

The 40-foot-wide townhouse features nine bathrooms, including this ornate, earth-toned and gilded marble facility

Financier J. Christopher Flowers is said to have bought the Harkness Mansion for $53million in 2006. 

The lavish E. 69th Street townhouse is currently owned by billionaire New York native Vincent Viola, who owns the NHL's Florida Panthers, and his wife, Teresa Viola.

Army vet Vincent was once President Donald Trump's nominee for United States Secretary of the Army, but withdrew himself from consideration, reportedly due to his inability to divest himself of his personal business per Pentagon rules. 

Should the real estate deal close at $80million, the Violas would make a tidy profit on the property which they originally purchased for the relative bargain price of $20million in 2005. 

When the Violas originally purchased the townhouse in 2005, it was broken up into four apartments and doctor's offices

Among Teresa Viola's many renovations to the property was the addition of a gourmet kitchen featuring a working pizza oven

If the townhouse deal goes through at $80million, it will become the most expensive townhouse ever sold in the city's history

In addition to seven bedrooms, the townhouse also features a 23-foot-long swimming pool, sauna and panic room

The Violas previously attempted to sell their lavishly decorated townhouse for $114million in 2013, but were unsuccessful

It's believed that the buyer of the townhouse is the same person who previously purchased a $50.5million penthouse last year

A 2013 attempt to offload the townhouse, which was built in 1884, for a $114million asking price failed. The property was then unlisted in 2014, after the Violas dropped the price to $98million, according to Zillow. 

When the Violas bought the property, the 40-foot-wide townhouse clocked in at 16,000-square-feet of space, was broken up into four apartments and contained doctor's offices, according to a 2013 report in the New York Daily News. 

After extensive renovations, the townhouse was expanded to its current 20,000-square-feet size and now contains seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. 

Additional billionaire-standard accouterments include a wood-paneled library, two-story red velvet-covered home theater, 23-foot-long swimming pool, sauna, recording studio and gourmet kitchen with a working pizza oven. 

There is also a panic room.

Although the townhouse is not formally listed for sale, Brown Harris Stevens real estate agent Paula Del Nunzio is representing the Violas in would could be an $80million deal, according to WSJ. 

The townhouse's buyer is believed to be the same unnamed person who purchased former Barclays Chief Executive Bob Diamond's penthouse at 15 Central Park West for $50.5million earlier this year.   

The wood-paneled library features a painted ceiling, mezzanine level, hanging chandeliers and a spiral staircase

The Violas stand to make a profit from the sale of their townhouse. They originally purchased it for $20million in 2005