$19.75M for the Former Gramercy Home of the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart

Yet another religious property has hit the market, although this is no typical church. These two townhouses, at 238 East 15th Street in Gramercy, have long served as the home for the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart. The sisters bought the first townhouse in 1948 and the second in 1952, combining them with a doorway on each floor. In the years that followed, according to the NY Times, hundreds of the sisters of the Immaculati Cordis Mariae (which began in Belgian) have passed through, decorating the townhouse interiors with souvenirs from missions around the world. Only one sister now lives in the 15,600-square-foot property, which has just hit the market for nearly $20 million.

Both homes were first occupied by Lewis L. Squires, a local ship chandler, and Mahlon Day, a printer and seller of children’s books, before they were acquired by the sisters. The listing is marketing it as a “52-foot-wide mega-mansion of epic proportions” — it’s 60 feet deep, five stories tall, and 18,720 square feet when you include the cellar. It also boasts a spacious, south-facing garden.

With all that space, you get a hodge-podge of interior details. (There’s even an elevator the services each floor.) Some of the wood floors have been covered up with carpeting. But interior details like ceiling medallions, plasterwork and fireplaces remain. Many floors have nearly floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the treetops of Stuyvesant Square.

Here’s a close-up look at the historic details that have been preserved throughout the house–the stained glass is especially gorgeous. A new owner will probably pull up the carpeting to find more incredible parquet flooring like what’s pictured above!

The 1850s homes, designed in the Italianate and Greek Revival styles, are located within the Stuyvesant Square Historical District. The brickwork, cornices and many other exterior details of the facade are all original. According to the Times article, a number of potential buyers have expressed interest in buying the entire property–the listing suggests that it could be divived into two townhouses or developed into condos, if the mega-mansion option does not appeal. It’s time for these townhouse’s next life, but New York will seem a little less lovely with the sisters gone. Their only remaining home in the country, according to the Times, is in Texas.

[Listing: 238 East 15th Street by Leonard Steinberg, Lisa Kobiolke, Hervé Senequier, and Dylan Hoffman for Compass]

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Photos courtesy of Compass