This $16M Upper East Side townhouse is like a small city on seven levels, with a basketball court on top
Photo credit: Evan Joseph for The Corcoran Group
Built in 1901, the Upper East Side mansion at 164 East 70th Street received a thorough and considered renovation by BWArchitects in partnership with PSA Studios and Kari McCabe. The 7,400-square-foot, 20-foot-wide townhouse unfolds on seven levels including a finished basement, with the interior space opened dramatically from front to back. Asking $16,250,000, this dazzling property offers at least five bedroom suites and endless flexibility along with architectural fabulousness. Topping it all off is a windowed basketball court on the seventh floor.
Original details have been meticulously preserved, including 12-foot ceilings, six wood-burning fireplaces and decorative moldings, while mechanicals have been updated. Modern necessities include an elevator, nine zones of central air conditioning, and a renovated rear facade. Made to accommodate both daily life and lavish entertaining, there’s a grand salon, a modern open kitchen, and a dazzling dining room that looks out onto a two-story glass wall and a verdant garden.
The home’s garden level offers a private bedroom suite–including a wet bar and refrigerator–that would be suitable for guest or staff quarters. A sleek lounge of a living room has a wet bar; opposite, an entertainment room opens onto the 32-foot-long garden beyond a stunning steel-framed double-height wall of windows. In addition to the ground floor garden, the home’s beautifully landscaped outdoor spaces include a terrace off the living room–and the potential to create a roof garden.
Up the stoop, onto the grand parlor floor, you’ll find those soaring 12-foot townhouse ceilings and plenty of historic detail. In the front is a salon, anchored by a sculptural spiral stairway and a wood-burning fireplace.
At the back of the townhouse is a European-style kitchen with appliances from Subzero, Wolf, and Bosch. A sun-filled dining room overlooks the garden through a two-story wall of windows. The parlor floor is framed by restored original oak paneling. There are powder rooms on both lower floors of the home.
Ascending the grand stair, you’ll find a chic pair of living spaces on the third floor. The rear living room features a fireplace and overlooks the garden, with three sets of French doors opening onto a terrace. The front-facing library suite has another fireplace and ensuite bath.
On the fourth floor is the sprawling primary suite. Highlights include a dressing room, walk-in closet, and a huge windowed bath with its own wood-burning fireplace and radiant heated floors.
The fifth floor is home to two large bedrooms and a hall bath. It would be easy to add another full bath, and there are two more fireplaces waiting to be uncovered.
On the home’s top floor–thankfully, there’s an elevator–15.5-foot ceilings frame a basketball court/recreation room, and a full bath. There is potential for even more outdoor space above, in the form of a roof deck.
As spacious as this Manhattan mansion is, no space goes to waste. The cellar level holds a bonus room currently used as a home gym and laundry room. Also down here are a full bathroom, a workshop, a cedar closet, a wine cellar, a storage room, and the home’s mechanicals.
[Listing info: 164 East 70th Street at CityRealty]
[Listed at The Corcoran Group by Cathy Franklin, Alexis Bodenheimer, Nika Kneitschel and Jamie Hannon]
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Photo credit: Evan Joseph for The Corcoran Group
