A turn-of-the-century Manhattan townhouse channeling Gilded Age opulence has hit the market with an asking price of $13.9 million. Designed by architecture firm Buchman & Deisler in 1898, the neoclassical residence is set within the Upper East Side Historic District, meaning its richly detailed limestone facade, including an original wrought-iron grille, cannot be altered—not that anyone would want to.
The home features a neoclassical limestone facade and wrought-iron grille.
Spanning five floors plus a finished basement, the 8,200 square-foot residence comes with seven bedrooms in total, five of which have en-suite baths. The home also has preserved period elements such as inlaid hardwood flooring, oak wainscoting, crown molding, door casings, and coffered ceilings. Additionally, the floor plan shows at least eight wood-burning fireplaces (banned in new construction) and a dumbwaiter (which have fallen out of fashion in modern times) servicing four floors.
One of eight wood-burning fireplaces comes with a marble and oak surround.
Beyond its Gilded Age roots, the house comes with modern conveniences like an updated chef’s kitchen with appliances by Thermador, a climate-controlled 1,400-bottle “wine cave” in the basement, workout room, and central air-conditioning. There are also a pair of private outdoor areas: a ground-level patio and fourth-floor terrace.
One of the living areas comes with built-in shelving.
As for the location, the residence sits on 74th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, providing residents easy access to Central Park as well as the neighborhood’s world-class shopping, restaurants, and museums. It also comes with a show-business pedigree: Respected Broadway and television producer Joseph Cates once called the residence home and sold it to the current owner.
A preserved wooden staircase links all five levels.
The home is listed with Joyce Sheena of Brown Harris Stevens.
Geoffrey Montes is an associate editor at ELLE Decor with a serious love for all things real estate and design. Before that, he worked at Architectural Digest, Galerie, and Preservation magazines, covering everything from jaw-dropping listings to world-famous architects and design events like Salone del Mobile and Homo Faber.
