David Rockefeller’s historic Upper East Side mansion lists for $32.5M

David Rockefeller, billionaire philanthropist, former head of Chase Manhattan, and grandson of John D. Rockefeller, passed away just three months ago at the age of 101. For the 69 years prior, he lived with his wife Peggy at this historic Upper East Side mansion at 146 East 65th Street. Now, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the rare 40-foot wide townhouse has hit the market for $32.5 million, and the listing photos showcase Rockefeller’s impressive collection 18th-century furniture and Chinese and European porcelains (paintings by Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse, and Picasso have unfortunately been blurred out).

The house was built in 1924 for investment banker Adrian Iselin in a colonial-revival style “with modest floral decorations over the arched ground-floor windows,” according to the listing. Its price tag is actually a bit below other grand mansions of the Upper East Side due to the fact that it’s a bit outdated and in need of some upgrading and, as the Journal tells us, “is located in a less-prime location than many Upper East Side townhouses, mid-block between Third and Lexington avenues, far from the more prestigious addresses on or near Fifth Avenue and Central Park,” with large towers nearby on Third Avenue.

However, the home is larger than most, with a rear planted garden, 9,760 square feet of space, eight bedrooms, an elevator, and a grand winding staircase topped by a skylight. It also boasts a library, six staff rooms, eight full baths and three half baths, eight fireplaces, and a large wine vault.

Kathryn Wylde, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for New York, who worked closely with Rockefeller over the years, described the home as, “perfectly kept and a reflection of his international travels and his taste in fine art,” adding that “everything about it was fine and warm, traditional, not cold.”

Rockefeller’s aforementioned art collection will be up for auction next year. As the Journal reported earlier this week, it could fetch up to $700 million, making it the most expensive auction Christie’s has ever handled.

[Listing: 146 East 65th Street by Mary Rutherfurd, Paula Del Nunzio and Leslie Coleman of Brown Harris Stevens]

[Via WSJ]

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Images courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens