Realtor: Versailles-Inspired Mansion in NYC Is Most Expensive New Listing

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Versailles-Inspired Mansion in NYC Is Most Expensive New Listing

Walk down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and you might be forgiven for overlooking this Beaux Arts mansion surrounded by newer and larger buildings. The historic manse on the Upper East Side is available for $50 million, making it this week’s most expensive new listing on realtor.com®.

Completed in the early 1900s by Grand Central Terminal architects Warren & Wetmore, the palatial home is listed in public records as being owned by the Permanent Mission of Yugoslavia to the United Nations.

Stairs with ornate skylight; sink

realtor.com

The former republic, now broken up into multiple countries, is ready to let go of its New York City digs. Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the home has been used as the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations.

The home was reportedly built for $60,000 for R. Livingston Beeckman and his wife. It was sold to George Grant Mason in 1912, and then to Cornelius Vanderbilt’s granddaughter in 1925.

After her death, Yugoslavia took possession of the building in 1946 for $300,000. There’s also a separate Park Avenue duplex that served as the ambassador’s residence, according to the New York Post.

Now, the home is on the market for the first time in 70 years. It’s notable for its “rich historic provenance, palatial proportions inspired by the Palace of Versailles and original details by master artisans of the early 20th century,” according to the listing.

New York’s Landmark Preservation Committee, which designated the address as historic in 1969, said, “Although this small town house is sandwiched between two large apartment buildings, their overpowering size cannot diminish the palatial scale nor the elegant grandeur of its architecture.”

Even today, this petite palace holds its own among its newer and taller rivals. The mansion, with 20,000 square feet of living space, has nine levels and 10 rooms with Central Park views. The 18th-century French influence includes white marble stairs, stone balconies, and an ornate skylight in the grand entrance.