For Sale: Elegant Avenue Duplex Has $9.25 Million Price Tag

Mar 16, 2023

Blue, blue, electric blue, that's the color of my room—David Bowie

Grand, sweeping staircases are one of the more coveted features of a prestigious, prewar apartment house that was designed by legendary architect J.E.R Carpenter in 1927 and lords over the swanky southwest corner of Park Avenue and East 75th Street. And, indeed, the floral de Gournay wallpaper in one of the building's high-floor duplex units, which is newly listed at $9.25 million, makes the most of the staircase's graceful curves, along with its brass and bronze railing.

Renovated over two years by Alexa Hampton, every inch of the nine-room spread is done in an eye-catching traditional style. There are four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. High ceilings, crown moldings, carved lintels, herringbone parquet flooring and other classic details make for an exquisite jewel box residence. And here, that jewel is sapphire, as almost every room and every detail is done in one shade of blue or another. The less glamorous details weren't neglected during the renovation, either. The apartment sports all new wiring, windows, A/V, HVAC, bathrooms, doors, custom hardware, millwork, security systems, and so on.

Even the tiger-stripe fabric on an armchair in the fireside corner living room is blue. And though the upholstered velvet walls are a contrasting emerald green in the dining room, the carpet is, naturally, a rich blue. Elsewhere on the lower floor is a black-lacquered library with blue accents, a butler's pantry lined with—you got it!—blue cabinetry, and a kitchen with a blue Viking range.

The upper level offers a large primary bedroom with two large custom dressing closets and a bathroom with a vanity area. Everything is done in blue, of course. A second bedroom, also in blue, is equally well proportioned and has a large dressing room and en suite bathroom, while two more bedrooms—yep, blue!—are quite small and share a hall bath.

As expected in patrician apartment houses along Park Avenue, the building itself features a classically grand and impressive lobby and a beautifully landscaped central courtyard garden. Staffing includes a full-time doorman and porters, elevator attendants, and a resident manager. A state-of-the-art gym, private storage, and a central courtyard garden are also available to residents.

The duplex unit is available via Michael Lorber, Alexander Boriskin, and Eric Friedberg at Douglas Elliman.

Now, let's all hum along with Bowie: blue, blue…

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