Bunny Mellon’s Incredible Upper East Side Mansion Finds a Buyer for $41M
After a year on the market, this incredible Upper East Side mansion designed by Bunny Mellon has finally found a family ready to call it home. According to the Observer, the 1960s townhouse currently owned by Irish businessman Tony White and his wife Clare just went into contract for $41 million. The couple originally paid $22.5 million for it in 2006, and when it came time to resell last year, they asked an impressive $46 million. Pricey? Yes. But given its darling location and architectural splendor, why this beauty didn’t fly off the shelf is a bit of a surprise to us. Just have a look inside and you’ll immediately understand why.
The 40-foot wide, 11,100-square-foot townhouse is of a Neoclassical French flavor. Bunny and her husband Paul (heir to Mellon Bank) weren’t shy about evoking “the charm of the French countryside” and each of the eight bedrooms is outfitted with French doors and windows. Color choices are equally on point with soft French blues and yellows found all throughout the home.
The high-ceilinged drawing room and dining room lead to a spectacular terraces. And with three exposures, the home is soaked in natural light both inside and out.
A chef’s kitchen, wine room, an an elevator are a few of the modern touches thoughtfully implemented. But it’s the spectacular private garden with reflecting pool and gazebo that’s really telling of the home’s former owner’s past.
Bunny Mellon was an American philanthropist, horticulturalist and gardener who famously designed the White House Rose Garden. She was also the granddaughter of the inventor of Listerine and a dear friend of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Bunny lived until March of this year, passing at the age of 103. Her husband Paul Mellon died in 1999 at the age of 91.
[Listing: 125 East 70th Street by Louise C. Beit at Sotheby’s International Realty]
[Via NYO]
Images courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty
