Nobody wants to buy the 'Versailles in Manhattan,' a $19.75 million Upper East Side townhouse that has been on and off the market for 15 years
Nobody wants to buy the 'Versailles in Manhattan,' a $19.75 million Upper East Side townhouse that has been on and off the market for 15 years
The Versailles-inspired townhouse covers about 6,700 square feet across four stories — counting the finished basement with inlaid marble and wood flooring and a window, it's roughly 8,000 square feet. It was built in 1872 by architect John G. Prague in Neo-Georgian style with an exterior facade of raked limestone and red clay brick and has monthly real estate taxes of $8,290, according to the listing.
Laub renovated the townhouse when he bought it for $4 million in 1986. The entry forecourt includes a separate service entrance and radiant heat sidewalk for snow removal. Among the home's many features are 15 rooms, eight ornate fireplaces, eight marble baths, an elevator servicing all floors, a gym, and a tasteful rooftop garden.
But that's just the beginning of its opulent interiors. The Louis XIV-style living room features 10 painted canvas panels inspired by the Fragonard Room of the Frick Collection.
On the opposite end of the townhouse's second floor is a sumptuous dining room‚ but it's not worth a visit without bringing a bottle from the temperature-controlled wine cellar in the basement.