Unique “Stone” House Struggles on the Market, Asking $7.5 Million

Apparently, living in a landmarked townhouse designed by the same architect responsible for the MoMA is not as appealing to buyers as you would think. The Edward Durell Stone-designed home at 130 East 64^th Street has been on the market for over a year now, with its asking price steadily declining from a $9.995 million price tag to $7.5 million, and it’s still sitting. But this four-story house is no stranger to mixed reviews.

Back in 1956, Stone created an uproar when he completely replaced the façade of his conventional 19^th century Neo-Grec townhouse with glass. To add insult to injury, he also pushed the façade forward, outfitting it with an artistic concrete grill of geometric shapes. This inventive solution would allow light to filter in while still maintaining privacy. Neighbors and fellow architects were less than thrilled with the new modernist makeover sticking out (literally) like a sore thumb in the middle of a tree-lined Upper East Side block of traditional rowhouses. But this was nearly ten years before the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was created, so neighbors and contemporaries just had to deal with it. Interestingly enough, the home was ultimately landmarked in 1981, and today it’s often revered as a display of architectural genius.

The first floor of the townhouse can easily be a mother-in-law suite or live-in quarters for a housekeeper or nanny. It contains one bedroom and bathroom, along with an office/media room, kitchenette, and direct access to the lush garden. The parlor floor boasts dramatic 12.3-foot ceilings, a white chef’s kitchen with marble tile floors, a sitting area, and an open dining/living room plan leading to a glass-covered, south-facing terrace that overlooks the backyard.

The third-floor master suite has a renovated bath and a library, while two additional fourth-floor rooms each have their own en suites as well. Laundry facilities are on the fourth floor and down in the basement, which also has plenty of storage space.

You’ve probably noticed by now that the artsy grillwork pattern on the front of the house makes an appearance in a few other spaces inside. The woodwork in the living room, the terrace and garden walls, and the ceiling of the library all display the creative designs, integrating the pattern seamlessly between interior and exterior.

[Listing: 130 East 64^th Street by Valerie J. Artzt and Cathy Taub of Stribling]

Photos courtesy of Stribling