The co-op William Randolph Hearst built for his mistress asks $22M

The real-life “Citizen Kane” was a ruthless businessman — but his former love nest just got a kindly price cut.

The palatial two-story co-op that William Randolph Hearst built for his celebrity mistress is now on sale for $22 million — a $4 million discount from its original price.

The rare sale comes with cathedral-like architecture and precious European artifacts to match.

The Ritz Tower residence, spread across the 19th and 20th floors of 465 Park Ave., listed in May for $26 million. The sale marked its first appearance on the market in the 21st century.

The recent 15% price reduction was a response to the current market, according to listing agent Michael Kotler of Douglas Elliman.

“We have had some interest, but today’s environment is challenging and we hope to capture more potential buyers at the lower price,” Kotler told The Post in an email.

Hearst, known for his sensationalist media empire and inspiring Orson Welles’ legendary 1941 film, built the home for actress Marion Davis in the late 1920s. At the time, Hearst owned the Ritz Tower, then an apartment hotel.

Davies was an A-lister of her era, but her career remains largely overshadowed by her decades-long affair with the married Hearst.

The pair’s shared flair for the dramatic is still evident throughout the museum-like home. Hearst, an avid collector of European art, installed 17th-century cathedral glass windows, a Venetian palace ceiling and 16th-century monastic doors imported from Europe that still remain in the home today.

The sheer scale of the 11-room residence feels far away from the squeeze of Manhattan, with its two-story great hall, interior balconies and triple-terraced views Central Park.

Hearst and Davies were evicted from the Ritz Tower in 1938 after the magnate, hard hit by the Great Depression, was forced to turn the building over the to the bank. The pair then fled to California.

The current sellers are in no such hurry to leave, according to Kotler.

“The owner is in no rush to sell, so we are not slashing the price, but $4 million is significant,” Kotler wrote.

The now-$22 million price tag includes antiques like a 100-year-old Agra carpet, regency-era tables and a 10-foot Vanderbilt clock. The next owner will also benefit from hotel services, including housekeeping and room service.