A Gilded Age NYC Carriage House Reborn

Address: 165 East 70th St., New York, NY
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 9 full, 1 half
Square feet: 15,978
Price: $80,000,000

Beyond the original landmarked limestone façade of this East Side townhome lies almost 16,000 square feet of living space renovated with no expense spared.

The building was originally a carriage house built in 1902 by CPH Gilbert for banker Henri Wertheim. In 1920 it was renovated as a garage and chauffeur’s quarters for Stephen C. Clark, the heir to the Singer sewing machine company. It changed hands again to Paul and Bunny Mellon, high-society New York philanthropists and art collectors. Almost a century later, the owners, former Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack and his wife, Christy, hired Sawyer Berson, a prestigious interdisciplinary New York City design firm, to transform the carriage house into a twenty-room mansion with quarter-sawn hand-pillowed oak floors, a dramatic wrought iron and limestone staircase and all the modern technology today’s discriminating buyers demand. “The attention to detail is extraordinary,” says Mike Fabbri, listing agent with The Agency Brokerage in Manhattan, who notes that the property is the highest-priced townhouse on the New York City market right now. “Everything was carefully considered to honor the home’s history while bringing it into the 21st century.

While the home received a thorough transformation in 2011, every effort was made to reclaim and repurpose materials from the building’s days as a horse stable and carriage house, including Virginia chestnut wood paneling used in the wainscoting and original tiles incorporated into the gym walls. “They even preserved and repurposed the original chicken-wire glass in the cloakroom cabinetry,” says Fabbri.

When you enter the home, the foyer and grand stairway welcome you in and lead to a primary elevator, custom mudroom and 13-seat soundproof theater. The main living spaces are on the second floor, including a glass-enclosed dining room with Lockwood Boone pendants and sconces, an eat-in chef’s kitchen with quartzite island, top-of-the-line appliances from Miele, Wolf and Sub Zero, a living room with tempered glass windows overlooking 70th Street, and a butler’s pantry with wet bar. “There’s something very romantic about the way this house unfolds,” says Fabbri. “The owners made sure every floor and every room serves a purpose, rather than reserving entire levels for occasional use.”

All the main rooms and bedrooms have a wood-burning fireplace. Interior Designer Eleanor B. La Sota led the design of the home, selecting Holland & Sherry wallpapers, Sahco drapery, Brunschwig & Fils fabrics and lighting from Armani, Ralph Pucci and Alison Berger throughout the home to meet the needs of an elevated and custom home. Despite its size and grandeur, Fabbri says, the home has a warmth and intimacy unexpected from a property this size. “It’s a showpiece but above all it’s a home,” notes Fabbri, adding that the informal rooms like the family kitchen, the library, the solarium and the private terrace, are as thoughtfully designed as the formal entertaining spaces. “It's incredibly livable, with abundant natural light and a beautiful balance of classical architecture and modern comfort.”

Rare for Manhattan, the townhome has a private garage, accessed by its own curb-cut driveway with Horus Bronze doors and heated Petit Granit limestone floors. “It’s a such a wonderful nod to the building’s origins as a carriage house,” says Fabbri. Located on the Upper East Side, the neighborhood is one of the most desirable luxury markets for its architecture, community and history.

“Some of New York’s greatest stories have unfolded here, and that legacy is everywhere you look,” he says. “There’s a wonderful tranquility to the neighborhood, yet all the glitz, glamor, culture and excitement of Manhattan are just minutes from your door.”