Upper East Side

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Photo of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban courtesy of UN Women

November 27, 2017

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Adding to the mansion’s celebrity lineage, country music star Keith Urban might be buying the 16-room Upper East Side townhouse at 4 East 74th Street for $39 million as a gift for his wife, Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman. According to Woman's Day, Kidman will take her acting career to Broadway, making the townhouse on Central Park the perfect nesting spot, although a deal has not been made official. "While there are several interested parties in the house, no deal has been made yet and a contract has not been signed," said the listing's agent, Adam Modlin. "The house is available." Constructed in 1898, past residents have included artist Marc Chagall and Michael Jackson. The sprawling six-story home features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and an original detailed oak staircase, 10 wood burning fireplaces and a private roof deck. As 6sqft previously covered, the building's current owner, billionaire hedge fund manager and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, listed the property earlier this month.
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November 21, 2017

$1.4M mod duplex is part of a rare Upper East Side enclave

By Michelle Cohen

In a city that seems to be growing more homogenous each day, this listing is one of the exceptions. Tucked away in plain sight on an Upper East Side street that ends in a cul-de-sac overlooking the East River, this floor-through duplex at 527 East 72nd Street is a rare oasis. Bookended by two petite public parks, the co-op complex consists of four wood-clad 1894 townhouses painted black and white. Within, the two-bedroom apartment is just as dreamy and beautifully renovated with clean, modern finishes that continue the feeling of having escaped the bustle of Manhattan. Asking $1.395 million, the home spans two levels and has a laundry room, a separate office, two baths and a powder room–and there's plenty of living space left over.
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Distinctive Homes

November 15, 2017

Historic UES mansion with Michael Jackson and ‘Gossip Girl’ ties asks $39M

By Dana Schulz

The celebrity connections at 4 East 74th Street date all the way back to its construction in 1898 when architect Alexander Welch was commissioned to design the Beaux-Arts townhouse. Welch served as the consulting architect on the restorations of Alexander Hamilton's Harlem home Hamilton Grange and George Washington's headquarters in White Plains. The Upper East Side home was bought by Francis Lynde Stetson and his wife. Corporate attorney Stetson was at one time the law partner of Grover Cleveland. According to Curbed, who first spotted the listing, in more recent years, the 16-room mansion has counted among its residents artist Marc Chagall and Michael Jackson, who rented it in the 90s. The house also stood in as the exterior of Nate Archibald’s residence in "Gossip Girl." It's now owned by billionaire Moroccan-born American hedge fund manager and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, who's just listed it for $39 million.
Take a tour

LPC approves Roman Abramovich’s revised Upper East Side mega-mansion proposal

Image: Landmarks Preservation Commission

November 14, 2017

LPC approves Roman Abramovich’s revised Upper East Side mega-mansion proposal

By Michelle Cohen

Shortly after Roman Abramovich added a fourth Upper East Side townhouse to his now-$96-million assemblage on East 75th Street, the Russian billionaire's three-house, 18,000-square-foot mega-mansion plans changed ever so slightly, with renovation efforts to be concentrated on numbers 9, 11 and 13, leaving number 15 out of the running for the mega-combo. As 6sqft previously reported, the steel magnate and owner of the Chelsea Football Club has been working with architect Steven Wang with big-name firm Herzog & de Meuron as a design consultant. The first proposal for the project, “an 18,255-square-foot mansion with a six-foot front yard, 30-foot backyard, and pool in the cellar" was rejected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the DOB in April 2016, but a revised plan was approved two months later. Tweaked again to include the new property, the revised plan has been officially approved on Tuesday by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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November 1, 2017

Charming duplex in an Upper East Side clapboard house asks $695K

By Michelle Cohen

If you have to have half of your apartment in a basement, English or otherwise, this one-bed-plus-bonus-room duplex at 229 East 81st Street is the one you want. The co-op known as Canterbury Mews occupies two buildings on a Yorkville block lined with gracious townhouses and well-tended brick. In front is an eight-unit 20th century apartment building and around the back is a 19th century white clapboard house. Between the two is a lovely landscaped patio, which is what you'll look out onto from this compact charmer asking $695,000.
Get a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

Roman Abramovich buys fourth townhouse on Upper East Side block for $96M mega-mansion

Rendering of the revised LPC proposal from June 2016; via Steven Wang Architects

October 30, 2017

Roman Abramovich buys fourth townhouse on Upper East Side block for $96M mega-mansion

By Dana Schulz

In the wake of Mayor de Blasio's claims that Russian oligarchs "basically stole the wealth of their country with the help of their government" and then used these "ill-gotten gains" to buy up property here in the city, one of the country's best-known billionaires, steel magnate and owner of the Chelsea Football Club Roman Abramovich, has purchased a fourth townhouse on a landmarked Upper East Side block in order to create an unprecedented mega-mansion. According to the Post, Abramovich's latest buy was a secret one but brought his total assemblage up to a whopping $96 million. Though he could've created the "biggest home the city has ever seen," reps for architect Stephen Wang tell us that the project will still remain a three-townhouse combination, now with a different trio included.
More details ahead

Celebrities

October 19, 2017

Katie Couric lists Park Avenue pad for $8.25M after buying a condo nearby

By Annie Doge

Last year, Katie Couric and her husband of nearly two years, financier John Molner purchased a five-bedroom full-floor apartment at the Peter Pennover-designed 151 East 78th Street, paying $12,168,087. Now, the New York Post reports that the celebrated news anchor's longtime home at 1155 Park Avenue is for sale. The 10-room co-op, listed for $8.25 million, has five bedrooms and high ceilings, large windows, original parquet flooring and treetop views over Park Avenue's famous tulip gardens. The classic Upper East Side full-service building offers a 24-hour doorman and a fitness center among its perks.
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A Beaux-Arts style building will rise on the Upper East Side’s 79th Street, the block’s first condo

27 East 79th Street, renderings courtesy of Adellco

October 17, 2017

A Beaux-Arts style building will rise on the Upper East Side’s 79th Street, the block’s first condo

By Devin Gannon

The Upper East Side's 79th Street, stretching between Madison and Fifth Avenues, remains known for its architecturally beautiful 19th and early 20th-century homes. Now, as CityRealty learned, the stretch of street will soon gain its first condominium at 27 East 79th Street, also the block's first new building in 40 years. The Parisian-inspired, 15-story building will have interiors designed by Cabinet Albert Pinto, whose trademark style mixes old-world luxury with modern design. The firm's previous clients include the French President and royal families of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Albert Pinto's team, run by Linda Pinto, will be working with local firm, HTO Architects.
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Architecture And Design

October 16, 2017

Art meets architecture at 180 East 88th including an intricate plasterwork installation in the lobby

By Michelle Cohen

CityRealty previously reported on the highly anticipated–and visually unique–skyscraper rising at 180 East 88th Street. Developers DDG want the 50-story condominium tower to stand apart from the sea of glass towers rising on the Upper East Side, and renderings show that the building's design is indeed a breathtaking departure from the average both inside and out, from herringbone-patterned brickwork to each unit’s herringbone floors imported from Austria. As an example of the project's unmatched level of individuality and attention to detail, DDG is working with a series of artists, including the renowned stucco artist Jan Hooss, who is creating an intricate plasterwork installation above the fireplace that will anchor the building's lobby. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, the artist has worked with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at Chateau Miraval. DDG CEO Joseph McMillan told CityRealty, "We wanted something unique and different for this building which is why we went with stucco art."
Watch a video of the artist describing his work for Brad Pitt and for the new building

October 16, 2017

$6.5M home in The Carlyle comes with valet, room service, and IT support

By Michelle Cohen

Rising high above the Upper East Side and Central Park, the iconic tower of the The Hotel Carlyle at 35 East 76th Street has symbolized old-world elegance and society glamour since it was built in 1929. This two-bedroom co-op on the market for $6.495 million puts all the comforts of home in the hands of the hotel's attentive staff, giving residents access to housekeeping, a concierge, doorman, valet, 24/7 room service, a phone operator, an engineer, IT support, shipping, a courtesy car, a garage, a spa and salon and a fitness center, plus banquet and conference facilities. Just downstairs are the famed Bemelmans bar–named for Ludwig Bemelmans artist and author of the "Madeline" series of children's classics (his mural adorns the walls of the establishment)–and Cafe Carlyle.
Get a peek behind the velvet curtains

Distinctive Homes

October 12, 2017

Options are many for this five-story $30M Beaux-Arts limestone townhouse on Museum Mile

By Michelle Cohen

Currently comprised of four apartments–two triplexes and two single-floor units—the seller of this impressively ornate 1903 townhouse at 7 East 88th Street hopes potential buyers will see it as a $29.95 million opportunity to create a grand Upper East Side single-family mansion. Situated just down the block from the Guggenheim, this stunning historic building comes with proposed single-family floor plans if you need any help visualizing life on five stories (plus an English basement) from the solarium to the basement gym. If five stories seem daunting, an elevator makes things easier.
Take the five-story-plus tour

Distinctive Homes

October 10, 2017

Creative power couple’s Yorkville duplex asks $16.5M for 13 rooms, 20-foot ceilings and a waterfall pond

By Michelle Cohen

One of several high-profile homes for a high powered creative couple and their three children, this sprawling apartment at 170 East End Avenue is both a perfect canvas for a very serious art gallerist and collector and a home that is lacking exactly nothing, including river, bridge and skyline views, 5,000 square feet of interior space, 20 foot ceilings, 13 rooms, a 150-bottle wine cellar, several terraces, a teak gazebo and a pond with its own waterfall. Indeed "truly remarkable," with interiors by renowned architect Peter Marino, the condominium, just listed for $16.5 million, has 2,186 square feet of landscaped private terraces, six bedrooms plus a library, formal dining, an eat-in kitchen, a home office, studies and lounges–all in a full-service Upper East Side building with amenities galore.
Tour this colorful mini-MoMA

Distinctive Homes

Obamas scope out apartments in posh Upper East Side building

Barack and Michelle Obama via Wiki Commons; One of 10 Gracie Square’s terraces overlooking the East River, via CityRealty

October 2, 2017

Obamas scope out apartments in posh Upper East Side building

By Dana Schulz

Yorkville's 10 Gracie Square is considered "one of New York City's most prestigious addresses" and "the most desirable residential building overlooking Carl Schurz Park," over the years attracting the likes of Alexander Woollcott, conductor Andre Kostelanetz, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. And now Barack and Michelle Obama may be added to that list, as "multiple sources" told the Post that the former President and First Lady were seen arriving at the Upper East Side building to view apartments. The co-op, located just down the block from the Mayor's residence Gracie Mansion, has plenty of perks that would likely attract the Obamas, including an indoor basketball court for the hoops-loving Prez, pet-friendly policy (we can't imagine they'd leave Bo behind), and a super-secure underground drive-in garage that would allow them to enter privately.
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Celebrities

September 29, 2017

$4.8M Yorkville duplex is like a renovated townhouse in a grand pre-war building

By Michelle Cohen

This impossibly spacious three-bedroom duplex maisonette in a gracious Upper East Side pre-war co-op at 520 East 86th Street is really a "best of both worlds" situation. For the price of $4,755 million, you get the privacy and space of townhouse living on two floors, three bedrooms and your own private entrance with its own address. You also get the convenience of a full-time doorman and a chance to live in a covetable Manhattan co-op.
Tour this gorgeous vintage home

Distinctive Homes

September 28, 2017

$13.5M UES townhouse boasts one of Manhattan’s finest private gardens

By Michelle Cohen

The listing tells us this six-story townhouse at 140 East 65th Street on the Upper East Side, with 18 rooms accessible by a wood-paneled elevator, is "the antithesis of the familiar, plain-vanilla, cookie-cutter developer spec house," and we'd have to agree. Asking $13.5 million, its 7,000 interior square feet and 900 square feet of private outdoor space are brimming with magnificent design details that include one of the finest private gardens in Manhattan, designed by the Curator of Japanese Gardens at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Check out the endless details and rooms to spare

Distinctive Homes

Octagonal ‘periscope’ tower proposed for Rafael Vinoly’s 249 East 62nd Street

Google Earth aerial rendering of 249 East 62nd Street’s proposed massing, via CityRealty

September 28, 2017

Octagonal ‘periscope’ tower proposed for Rafael Vinoly’s 249 East 62nd Street

By Michelle Cohen

Real Estate Inverlad's in-the-works residential project at 249 East 62nd Street is now one less ZD1 diagram away from being a reality. CityRealty reports that the customary diagram is now on file, giving us a look at the tower's proposed bulk–and the Department of Buildings has found the project, even with a few clever tricks up its sleeve, compliant with the city's zoning laws. The diagram shows that the skyscraper will elevate a number of the units within by using an octagonally-shaped core, periscope style, to peer out over their Upper East Side neighbors towards Central Park and the East River.
See how it works, this way

September 27, 2017

No one wants to rent Ivanka Trump’s Park Avenue apartment

By Devin Gannon

After months of being on the market, the Manhattan pad of President Donald Trump’s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump just won’t rent, despite three substantial price chops. The first daughter first purchased the two-bedroom, two bathroom condo at 502 Park Avenue in 2004 for $1.5 million. Upon her father’s election, Ivanka listed the apartment at Trump Park Avenue in November for $15,000 per month. In February, the price dropped to $13,000 per month. On Tuesday, the asking price was $10,450 per month, a 30 percent price cut since the presidential election, according to Bloomberg.
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September 14, 2017

Billionaire sports team owner gets $17M discount on Upper East Side mega-mansion

By Michelle Cohen

A massive Upper East Side single-family townhouse at 50 East 69th Street was just wrestled off the market for an equally monumental $45 million, sources have told the New York Post. Joshua Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and part owner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, just bought the 21,070-square-foot house, which was listed at $72 million last September and reduced to $59 million in June. The 44-foot-wide limestone-clad building, known as the Dommerich Mansion, was built in 1917 in a neo-French classic style by architect Henry C. Pelton for Otto Louis Dommerich, who ran his family's family cotton business. It was most recently being used as a cosmetic surgery facility.
More details this way

September 14, 2017

Everything about this $495K Yorkville co-op is done just right–including the price

By Michelle Cohen

This adorable one-bedroom co-op at 326 East 73rd Street shows what designer talent can do for a small apartment. High ceilings, white oak floors, and a great Upper East Side location don't hurt matters much, while the stylish and well-appointed kitchen, elegant lighting, and reclaimed wood accents make this space seem like a find indeed. There are also quartz countertops, glass French doors, big closets, and plenty of sun to enjoy, and we're guessing a new owner will be doing just that, very soon.
More small-space style, this way

Distinctive Homes

September 6, 2017

Over-the-top Upper East Side maisonette is back on the market for $19M

By Michelle Cohen

Well within the gracious walls of 135 East 79th Street, one of the Upper East Side's most coveted–and expensive–condominiums, this nearly 5,000-square-foot elevator duplex is for all intents a townhouse that feels like a penthouse. Except it's a maisonette, complete with separate street entrance and backyard. It’s also a condo, with access to the top-notch amenities one would expect from a recent big-ticket Carnegie Hill development. The unit first sold for $11.8 million in 2014 to convenience store heir Gerald Erickson, Jr., but he re-listed it just a month later, with the added benefit of over-the-top interiors, for a considerably elevated $18.4 million. It doesn’t look like things have changed much since then, but the maximalist pad has just reappeared on the market with an $18.995 million price tag.
Get a non-stop eyeful, this way

Distinctive Homes

September 5, 2017

EVENT: Explore the art and architecture of the Second Avenue Subway with a 6sqft editor

By 6sqft

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Second Avenue Subway's long-awaited opening, it's the perfect time to step back and marvel at the $4 billion infrastructure project. Join 6sqft senior editor Dana Schulz for a tour with the Municipal Art Society about the history, art, and architecture of the Second Avenue Subway. Taking place on Saturday, September 16th, the two-hour event will explore why it took nearly 100 years for the train's wheels to get rolling, how it was designed, and what engineering feats set it apart. Guests will also view the impressive collection of public art from Chuck Close, Sarah Sze, Vik Muniz, and Jean Shin, learning about these contemporary artists and the significance of their work.
All the event details right this way

A Guide to the gilded age mansions of 5th Avenue’s Millionaire Row – Part II

Mrs. Astor’s House on 65th Street and Fifth Avenue. Image via Library of Congress

August 28, 2017

A Guide to the gilded age mansions of 5th Avenue’s Millionaire Row – Part II

By Michelle Young

Last week, 6sqft went through the many mansions, predominately lost, along Millionaire's Row on Fifth Avenue up to 59th Street. Most of this stretch has been converted into upscale luxury retail and corporate skyscrapers, but Millionaire's Row continued northwards along Central Park, which opened in 1857. Though some have been lost, a significant number of these opulent Gilded Age mansions still stand within this more residential zone. The AIA Guide to New York City calls this area of Fifth Avenue from 59th Street to 78th Street the "Gold Coast," and rightly so. Walking up 5th Avenue, you'll first pass the decadent Sherry-Netherland Hotel with its recently uncovered 1927 Beaux-Arts mural and the Stanford White-designed Metropolitan Club, founded by J.P. Morgan in 1891 for friends who were rejected from the old-money Knickerbocker Club. But even before the construction of the Metropolitan Club, a mansion was rising less than a block away on 61st Street and Fifth Avenue.
Find out more about these incredible mansions here

August 9, 2017

A top-floor Madison Avenue studio a block from the park for $460K? Yes, it’s true.

By Michelle Cohen

This pre-war studio might not be huge (in fact it's only 550 square feet), but it has plenty of charm and even more location going for it. Tucked into the top floor of an elevator building at 1361 Madison Avenue, the diminutive co-op is asking $460,000 and not a penny more. Central Park is a block away, and the Upper East Side location is in the heart of the neighborhood.
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Distinctive Homes

August 2, 2017

After four years on the market, $125M Pierre penthouse sells for a paltry $44M

By Devin Gannon

The 16 room triplex that takes up the 41st, 42nd and 43rd floors of the legendary Pierre Hotel has finally sold for $44 million, a huge drop from its original $125 million asking price. Located at 795 Fifth Avenue, the penthouse was owned by Barbara Zweig, the widow of financier Martin Zweig, who first listed the property in 2013 after her husband’s death. According to The Real Deal, the pad features a library, four terraces, private elevator and costs $51,840 per month to maintain.
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July 31, 2017

Mr. Big (a.k.a. actor Chris Noth) snags little Upper East Side co-op for $1.8M

By Annie Doge

While he is known for playing hot shot New Yorker Mr. Big on "Sex and the City," actor Chris Noth has called New York City his home in real life since the 1970s. And since 1994, Noth has owned his apartment at 45 East 9th Street, the same building where Candace Bushnell lived, the writer behind the newspaper column and book that inspired the popular TV show. Recently, "The Good Wife" actor purchased a co-op at 139 East 66th Street on the Upper East Side for $1.85 million, reported LL NYC. The pre-war pad boasts just two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a bit on the small side for Mr. Big.
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July 25, 2017

Manhattan’s first-ever water park is coming to the Upper East Side—and it looks like a giant dishwasher!

By Dana Schulz

For three Saturdays in August, nearly seven miles of NYC thoroughfares, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, will be closed to traffic as part of the city’s annual Summer Streets program. And this year's event has some pretty adventurous offerings, including a 270-foot waterslide, rock-climbing wall, and a 165-foot-long zipline. Guests will also get to visit Manhattan's first-ever water park on the Upper East Side, courtesy of LG Electronics. The giant inflatable park, called LG QuadWash™ Water Park, will measure 30-feet wide by 50-feet long and it's designed to look like both the interior and exterior of LG's new dishwashers, including cutlery-shaped slides, jet stream sprinklers, and "3rd rack" monkey bars.
Learn how you’ll be able to play in a giant dishwasher

Events & Things To Do

July 25, 2017

$350K UES studio designed in the ’80s by Adam Tihany resembles a luxury train car

By Emily Nonko

A quirky studio designed by the interior designer Adam Tihany, praised as one of the greatest American interior architects by the New York Times, has hit the market for $350,000. The design has essentially remained unchanged since the apartment was featured in an early 1980s issue of Metropolitan Home, which compared the design to that of a luxury train car. According to the listing, this modest interior, packed with inventive storage, is an early example of Tihany's world renowned hotel work (some of his commissions include the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and two Four Seasons in Dubai). It's located in the 16-unit Upper East Side co-op 223 East 78th Street, which has one more studio for sale asking $315,000.
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