Pulitzer Mansion penthouse where real-life Indiana Jones lived lists for $7M
Photos courtesy of Yale Wagner for Sotheby’s International Realty
A penthouse on the Upper East Side owned by the explorer and naturalist who inspired the character “Indiana Jones” hit the market this month. Taking up the top two floors of the Pulitzer Mansion, a Venetian palace-inspired home built for Joseph Pulitzer and converted into co-ops in the 1950s, the penthouse was first owned by Roy Chapman Andrews, an explorer and director of the American Museum of Natural History who is said to have been the model for the adventurous film hero. Asking $6,975,000, the unique duplex at 11 East 73rd Street features oversized living spaces, three bedrooms, and a 750-square-foot private terrace.
Roy Chapman Andrews started a career at the American Museum of Natural History in 1906 and by 1934, he was the museum’s director. He led an exhibition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and discovered a nest of dinosaur eggs, a new species of dinosaurs, and fossils of mammals that co-existed with the creatures, cementing his status as a paleontology star.
Andrews was also the first owner of the penthouse at the Pulitzer Mansion, which was designed by Stanford White for the newspaper publisher in 1903. After Pulitzer died, the building was converted into rentals in the 1930s and a co-op in the 50s.
Jeanette Redden and late David Redden, a former vice chair of Sotheby’s auction house, bought the home in 2011 for $2.4 million and made several updates, including a new kitchen and a built-out terrace, according to the New York Times.
Upon stepping off the elevator, a sunny foyer steps up into the aptly-named grand room, which includes 16.5-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace with an antique mantlepiece, and original stained glass window panes.
Through the other end of the foyer is a dining room and windowed kitchen, which includes marble countertops and a new oven, stovetop, sub-zero refrigerator, and dishwasher.
Also found on this main level are two cozy bedrooms with closet space, a full bath, and a laundry room.
Up a flight of stairs to the top floor you’ll find the primary bedroom, which has an ensuite bath and access to the south-facing terrace.
The landscaped 750-square-foot terrace boasts city views and an irrigation system.
The Pulitzer Mansion is one of New York City’s few examples of its kind that is still used for residential purposes. The Central Park-facing, pet-friendly building has a live-in manager and a doorman.
[Listing details: 11 East 73rd Street, #PH at CityRealty]
[At Sotheby’s International Realty- East Side Manhattan Brokerage by Marjorie Hewett and Margot F. Berg]
RELATED:
