New York's Priciest Home Sells For $79.5M On Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The city's priciest house has been sold on the Upper East Side. The townhouse at 19 East 64th St. fetched $79.5 million this week, $26.5 more than East 75th Street's Harkness Mansion that previously held the title.

The house has had a long and storied history. The previous owner, the art heir David Wildenstein, had begun negotiations with Qatar to sell it in 2013 but that deal, which was rumored to be somewhere between $90 and $120 million, fell through in 2014 and the house was re-listed for $100 million in 2016.

Len Blavatnik, a businessman and investor, sued Wildenstein for reneging on a handshake deal for the townhouse, with that lawsuit being tossed out last month.

The townhouse was listed as commercial property and it is uncertain how it will be used by the mysterious buyer, whose name is hidden behind the LLC 19-21 East 64th Holding LLC.

It had been speculated that Qatar had wanted to use the property as an embassy and that Blavatnik wanted to turn it into an office.

Designed in Beaux Arts style by Horace Trumbauer, the townhouse was built in 1932. The mansion sports a limestone facade and wood paneling from a Parisian townhouse.

The sale was first reported by Curbed reporter Amy Plitt.

Lead image via Google Maps