In a city of skyscrapers, anyone with enough cash can own a newly minted penthouse. But it takes a collector’s eye to nab the right townhouse.
There are just 258 townhouses on the market in Manhattan, and nearly double that many penthouse listings, according to StreetEasy.
Far fewer still have pedigree: lauded architects, famed Gilded Age residents and intricate preserved finishes that would be impossible to replicate today.
“Townhouses are a limited commodity, particularly in desirable neighborhoods,” says Douglas Elliman’s Sandra Ripert. “They’re rare but just so much fun, and the market has been strong for them.”
When they do come up for sale, they set records. In 2018, the 41-foot-wide limestone townhouse at 19 E. 64th St. sold for $90 million, according to public records — a high-water mark that still stands today.
But recently, an uncharacteristic bevy of the city’s best and most refined townhouses have been listed all at once. While they might not be quite gunning for price records in this cooler economic environment — the top property is asking $72.5 million — here’s a look inside some of the largest, highly priced and most beautiful homes in all of New York.
What do you get when you put a 16,000-square-foot mansion with a Stanford White design across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art? The 30-room, $72.5 million listing at 973 Fifth Ave.
This Italian Renaissance-influenced, seven-level, 10-bedroom spread was originally built for railroad tycoon Henry H. Cook. (He purchased the entire block, and sold off the parcels to carefully selected peers.) Completed in 1907, it would be one of White’s final designs to be built. (He was murdered in 1906.)
At the time, Fifth Avenue was lined with mansions. But today, the house is sandwiched by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Ukrainian Institute of America — a hint to the fate of 99.9% of these magnificent homes. It listed in May, after an 11-year sabbatical from the market, and it’s still miraculously preserved.
Not only does it follow the original floor plan, but the limestone staircase, the original leaded-glass windows, the two grand parlors, the French stained glass that White personally acquired and the painted wood-beamed ceiling are all still intact. Mother-of-pearl and brass push buttons still operate the lights, with call bells should you wish to summon Jeeves, and there’s a cast-iron walk-in safe. Adam Modlin, who did not return our request for comment, has the listing.
is now asking $65 million.
Not half a block away (the backs of the buildings nearly touch), 4 E. 79th St. hit the market in August, asking $65 million. It last sold in 1997. Commissioned by real estate and grocery mogul James E. Nichols in 1898, the 35-foot-wide home is 15,200 square feet with six bedrooms designed by C. P. H. Gilbert (the It townhouse architect of the age).
With mahogany doors, marble floors, oak paneling and carved crown moldings, it’s stacked with historic highlights. Sotheby’s Serena Boardman has the listing.
Down a dozen blocks, on the corner of Madison Avenue, 144 E. 65th St. listed in July for $57.5 million, also with Modlin. For 70 years, none other than David Rockefeller called this mansion home. Built in 1924, the 40-foot-wide, red-brick Colonial Revival house has 12,500 square feet and eight bedrooms.
a rooftop terrace and a hefty $57.5 million price tag.
Appropriately, it’s a bit of a flapper inside thanks to a playful 2022 renovation by Steven Harris Architects and interior designer Miles Redd that added color and bold patterns.
While the home leans modern (there’s a basketball court), plenty of Jay Gatsby flair can still be found in the wood-paneled walls, undulating grand staircase and formal courtyard garden.
Last, and far from least, is the largest home on the market in Manhattan, at 9 W. 54th St., across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. Built in 1896 for J.P. Morgan’s cousin James J. Goodwin, this leviathan of a listing weighs in at 24,000 square feet — making it the largest single-family home listed in the city. At 50-feet wide, it has 33 rooms, 11 bedrooms and 11 more staff bedrooms.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White, the building had been used as the headquarters of the US Trust Company, before going into private hands in 2009 and sitting empty. It hit the market in April.
In conservative bankerly fashion, very little about the home has been altered. All 12 fireplaces, stained glass and historic layouts are in situ. There’s a walk-in silver safe in the dining room, two elevators, a dumbwaiter and even original wallpaper. But to love this house you must love wood — it’s dripping with it, from the paneling and carved columns to the herringbone floors. It’s asking $56 million with Douglas Elliman’s Patricia Vance and Sandra Ripert.