Landmarks Approves Roman Abramovich’s $80M UES Makeshift Mansion

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich started assembling his $78 million trio of Upper East Side townhouses at 11-15 East 75th Street back in January of 2015, but it wasn’t until this past March that he first released his proposal to combine the townhouses into a giant mansion. The Department of Buildings rejected his initial, $6 million proposal, which called for “an 18,255-square-foot mansion with a six-foot front yard, 30-foot backyard, and pool in the cellar,” as 6sqft previously reported. But since the homes are located within the Upper East Side Historic District, it’s the Landmarks Preservation Commission who has the final say.

The LPC also rejected Abramovich‘s first proposal in April, but today they reviewed and approved a revised plan from his architect Steven Wang, along with big-name firm Herzog & de Meuron as design consultant. It calls for a modified restoration of the current facades and the removal of the rear yard building elements to be replaced with a garden and new glass facade that unites the three homes.

Current front facade image of the houses

The April plan (L); The Approved plan (R)

The homes were built between 1887 and 1889 in the Queen Anne style, but in 1923, number 11’s facade was reconstructed in a Neo-Federal style. The April proposal wanted to restore the facade back to its original Queen Anne incarnation for the sake of uniformity, but the LPC felt this was not authentic. Therefore, the new scheme restores the house in its existing Neo-Federal style. The Commission liked that the three properties maintain their individuality and that each will have door pediments so they’ll look like three separate buildings from the street. The main entrance will be at number 13; it will be a glazed door with mesh metal work inspired by historic doors, but in a contemporary design. There will also be a contextual cast iron fence to act as a street-facing unifying element.

The April plan (L); The Approved plan (R)

The rear facade will be made of bronze and glass. There’s also a vertical garden, which takes cues from those Herzog & de Meuron created at the Caixa Forum in Madrid and the Perez Art Museum in Miami. The only major change here is the relationship between the garden space and the interior’s lower level that contains the pool. It’s now open and includes the rock supports.

You can view the full presentation PDF here.

Additional reporting by Emrys Fitzgerald

RELATED:

• Roman Abramovich’s $80M UES Makeshift Mansion Gets Turned Down By the DOB
• Roman Abramovich Closes on Third UES Townhouse for His $80M Makeshift Mansion
• Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich Buys Up Three UES Townhouses to Build a Makeshift Mansion

All images via Stephen Wang + Associates