Eleanor Roosevelt’s Upper East Side townhouse is on the market – take a look inside this stylish property

The only thing more desirable than an Upper East Side townhouse is an Upper East Side townhouse belonging to a former First Lady. That’s precisely the case with Eleanor Roosevelt’s former historic home – currently listed for $16 million.

The longest-serving First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt lived in The White House from 1933 to 1945, while her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, spent four terms in office. She is also recognized as an activist and diplomat after standing as an American Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. 

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In her later years, Mrs. Roosevelt was known to write a syndicated newspaper column, My Day, while overlooking 74th Street from her desk in the property. 

Designed by Buchman and Deisler in 1898, the 8,500 square foot home was one of only eight limestone townhouses created by the celebrated architects. 

Throughout its long history, its six-bedrooms have played host to an abundance of dignitaries and influential figures, including the former President of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, and the 35th President, John F. Kennedy. Composer Leonard Bernstein also visited the home, because even the individual behind West Side Story can’t keep away from the allure of the East Side. The property was home to Eleanor Roosevelt until her death in 1962. 

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The property's entrance hall is the epitome of New York sophistication – crowned with a Louis XIV chandelier that drapes from the period 12 foot ceilings. This grandeur continues throughout its modern white-glazed kitchen and media room that is drenched in sunlight from its 10 foot skylights and adjoining rear garden. 

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The entire townhouse spans over five floors and has five and a half bathrooms - one of which boasts a large marble soaking tub where you can bathe away the hustle of the city. 

According to listing agents, Compass (opens in new tab), this newly renovated home has enough room to accommodate up to 500 guests - so we have the feeling that somebody is going to throw the biggest housewarming party New York has ever seen, post-pandemic, naturally. 

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The top floor includes a private verdant jungle – above the concrete jungle – so you can raise a glass over Central Park and the prestigious Carlyle Hotel on the neighboring East 76th Street. 

Benjamin Glazer and Dimitrios Alevizos hold the listing at Compass.