House: 36 East 74th Street

Known as one of the most iconic and rare townhouses on the Upper East Side, and celebrated for its 40 foot width, two car garage, 40 foot by 38 foot garden, approximately 14,000 sq. ft. interior, and exquisite Gold Coast location one block from Central Park, this 6 level single family townhouse with neo Federal façade pushes all the right buttons for a dazzling lifestyle and the ultimate in luxurious New York townhouse living.

The 14,000 sq. ft. interior includes 19 rooms, 8 to 11 bedrooms, 10 fireplaces, soaring ceilings up to 17 feet, and one of the most spectacular circular staircases in New York. The 40 foot width of the townhouse offers sublime horizontal living rather than the vertical living found in townhouses, allowing the luxury of intimate or large scale entertaining to take place all on one exquisite parlor floor, with huge south facing drawing room overlooking the garden.

Interiors

The Garden Floor of the townhouse provides for the exceptional: a two car garage, chauffeur’s room or reception room, grand entrance gallery with glorious circular staircase, a lovely south-facing breakfast room with fireplace and door leading to the garden porch and the 40 foot wide x 38 foot deep, approximately 1,520 sq. ft. south garden. The kitchen, with stairs leading to the butler’s pantry off the upstairs dining room, is adjacent to the breakfast room and also overlooks the garden. A small bar and a powder room complete the floor Parlor Floor, with its luxurious 38 × 24 foot south-facing drawing room with fireplace, 12 foot ceiling, and grand bay windows overlooking the garden, it is just about the most exquisite private space in New York for grand or intimate entertaining. The romantic perfectly square 21 × 21 foot dining room with fireplace has bay windows overlooking the street and is connected to the downstairs kitchen via butler’s pantry and back stairs. The intimate bay-windowed library, also overlooking the street, is perfect for gatherings after dinner. The Third Floor, currently configured as four bedrooms, all with fireplaces, has the luxury of offering the entire floor of 2,200 sq. ft. as a master bedroom suite with flexibility of floor plan options, including a large south-facing master bedroom overlooking the garden, sitting room with garden views, ample dressing room with large bay window overlooking the street, and large baths. The Fourth Floor, which offers four to five bedrooms, two with fireplaces, and three bathrooms, is the perfect children’s floor with enough rooms to accommodate a family through several stages of children’s needs, including a nanny’s room, and later a playroom, or study room. The Fifth Floor is unique with its fabulous north-facing room with soaring 17 foot ceiling and skylight, and which can be used as a billiards room, media room, artist’s studio, and more. There is also an adjoining bath to this extraordinary room. Also on this floor is a bedroom that can be used as a gym, which has an en suite bath. A third room can be used as a family TV/game room. This floor can also be used as staff quarters, or extended family quarters.

The Lower Level has a gym, laundry room, 5 storage rooms, and a mechanical room.

The elevator services all 6 levels, including the lower level, with doors that open on both sides, and also provides direct access to the garage.

Architectural and Social Provenance

Mrs. George Whitney owned the townhouse in the 1920s and engaged the renowned architectural firm of Cross & Cross to design the neo-Federal brick façade to replace the previous brownstone façade, designed by D. & J. Jardine in 1870.

In 1948, while Dorothy Hearst Paley owned the house, she asked the Swiss architect, William Lescaze, to execute interior alterations and remodel the front steps.