$41M Upper East Side Townhouse Is Most Expensive New Listing

A four-floor townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan has returned to market with a 15% price cut. Listed for $41 million, the regal residence is still this week’s most expensive new listing on realtor.com®.

Designed by architect Grosvenor Atterbury, the mansion was built in 1901 for banker Julian Wainwright Robbins and his wife, Sarah Robbins (niece of Cornelius Vanderbilt). The fully restored home provides the “privacy and exclusivity of a single family home while offering all the conveniences of a full-service condominium,” the listing notes. The restoration also preserved the classic exterior facade of the 33-foot-wide building

Although it may possess the feel of a stand-alone home, the mansion takes up the first four floors of a seven-story condo development adjacent to the former Whitney Museum.

The 10,888-square-foot residence was last purchased by Russian billionaire businessman Alexei Kuzmichev in 2016, according to the New York Post.

Kuzmichev also purchased a separate three-bedroom, three-bedroom, 3,800-square-foot unit for $15.5 million in the building next door and apparently hoped to merge the two units into one massive spread. 

With the merger of the two residences not in the cards, he opted to flip both units and placed them on the market in 2017, the townhouse for $48 million. The smaller unit was listed for $16.25 million and sold in 2018 for $15 million.  

The larger, more impressive abode is still available, and is back for an encore as one of our most expensive homes.

The posh place is accessible by private entrance or through a main lobby. The foyer is finished in chambord limestone and polished plaster, and the floors are wide-plank oak throughout. The interiors, finished in grays and creams, create a look that is “effortlessly classic.”

The massive chef’s kitchen is equipped with white stone counters and a marble island, a Wolf range and oven, Sub Zero fridge, and Miele dishwasher. 

An elevator services all four levels. The layout includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and three half-baths. The parlor floor is highlighted by a 12-foot ceiling and south-facing, floor-to-ceiling arched windows. A private terrace graces the first floor.

Residents of the building enjoy door attendants, concierge services, and an on-site superintendent. Pets are also allowed. The locale is close to Central Park, museums, shops, and restaurants.

Richard J. Steinberg with Douglas Elliman holds the listing.