Carnegie Hill

Bounded by 86th and 96th streets, Third Avenue, and Central Park's east side, the enclave of Carnegie Hill, well within the refined embrace of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is a neighborhood that transcends trends. A significant portion comprises the Carnegie Hill Historic District with its 19th-century townhouses of brick and brownstone and ornate mansions, converted hotels, and large apartment buildings from the early 20th century. Culturally rich on par with any neighborhood in the world, with a convenience that's hard to beat anywhere in the city, this elegant residential New York City neighborhood appears untouched by time. But within its borders are some of the Upper East Side's most exciting recent residential conversions and new developments.
What to do and see, and where to live in Carnegie Hill

Events & Things To Do

Take a tour of the tallest penthouse on the Upper East Side, asking $33M

All photos courtesy of Sean Hemmerle

September 28, 2022

Take a tour of the tallest penthouse on the Upper East Side, asking $33M

Earlier this year, the highest residence in the tallest tower on the Upper East Side hit the market. This week, new photos of the penthouse at 180 East 88th Street were released, showing off the impressive architecture of the five-bedroom home, which was listed for $33,000,000 in March. On full display are the apartment's stunning sculptural staircase, dramatic archways, brass-framed windows, and private outdoor space with panoramic views.
Take a peak

Photos by Richard Caplan, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 13, 2022

Completely restored and renovated, the historic Emily Trevor mansion asks $29.5M

Located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Carnegie Hill, the townhouse at 15 East 90th Street was commissioned in 1926 for noted socialite and philanthropist Emily Trevor. According to Mansion Global, Andrew Carnegie himself stayed in its ornate rooms during the renovation of his nearby home. Steps from Central Park and next door to the Cooper Hewitt museum, the landmarked 12,000-square-foot house is 26 feet wide and spans five floors that contain five bedrooms, two outdoor spaces, two gym rooms, and a steam room and sauna. Following a stem-to-stern renovation that modernized the home's infrastructure (including an elevator that serves all floors) and restored its original architecture and details, the historic townhouse is back on the market for $29,500,000.
See all five floors of this historic home

Distinctive Homes

See the new stucco sculpture by Jan Hooss on display in the Upper East Side’s tallest tower

Photo courtesy of Alex Stein

May 26, 2022

See the new stucco sculpture by Jan Hooss on display in the Upper East Side’s tallest tower

By Aaron Ginsburg

World-renowned plaster artist Jan Hooss has installed a custom stucco art installation in the lobby of 180 East 88th Street, a new condo tower designed by Joe McMillan's DDG. Inspired by an architectural style widely used on the Upper East Side at the beginning of the 20th century, the art piece "fuses a rococo design with a whimsically modern aesthetic," according to a press release. The stucco sculpture sits above the vaulted lobby's fireplace, contrasting its flowing, water-like quality with the fire below.
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Interior designer Muriel Brandolini lists attractive UES townhouse for $9.5M

All photos by Yoo Jean Han for Sotheby’s International Realty

May 19, 2022

Interior designer Muriel Brandolini lists attractive UES townhouse for $9.5M

Celebrated interior designer and decorator Muriel Brandolini is selling her four-story brownstone on the Upper East Side for $9,500,000. Brandolini, known for her "modernist-tropical" style reflective of her French-Vietnamese upbringing, decorated her home at 167 East 80th Street with art, patterns, and statement lighting, creating highly-livable spaces on every floor. Outside, a long private rear garden surrounded by bamboo gives the home a vacation vibe.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

April 5, 2022

Ralph Lauren picks up $4M co-op in his UES building of 40 years

Ralph Lauren and his wife Ricky have bought a second apartment in the same Upper East Side building where the couple has lived for the past four decades. As first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by property records, the fashion designer paid $4,000,000 for a co-op at 1107 Fifth Avenue, a 14-story building on the corner of East 92nd Street in the Carnegie Hill Historic District.
Get the details

Asking $33M, the tallest penthouse on the UES has dramatic archways and three levels of terraces

All images courtesy of March Made for DDG

March 31, 2022

Asking $33M, the tallest penthouse on the UES has dramatic archways and three levels of terraces

By Aaron Ginsburg

Here's a chance to own the highest residence in the tallest residential tower on the Upper East Side. Situated at the pinnacle of DDG's condominium at 180 East 88th Street, this duplex penthouse boasts over 5,500 square feet of interior space. Now on the market for $33,000,000, the five-bedroom penthouse flaunts soaring ceiling heights, a sculptural spiral staircase, and an incredible 3,500 square feet of private outdoor space spread across three levels.
See inside

Penthouse atop Upper East Side’s historic former Hotel Wales hits the market for $23M

Photo credit: VMI Studios

March 22, 2022

Penthouse atop Upper East Side’s historic former Hotel Wales hits the market for $23M

Capping the reinvention of the former Hotel Wales at 1295 Madison Avenue as luxury condominium residences, a newly-constructed 4,179-square-foot penthouse spanning the building's highest floor has just arrived on the market. The $23,000,000 home in the Carnegie Hill Historic District contains five bedrooms and seven bathrooms; its biggest asset, however, may be the 3,114 square feet of wrap-around terraces on two levels with Central Park views, an outdoor kitchen with a wet bar, a fireplace, and a butler’s pantry.
Get a peek at this parkside penthouse

LPC approves design for condo conversion at 120-year-old Hotel Wales

Rendering of the proposed cornice at Hotel Wales by Form4Design Studio and Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, LLC; via LPC

April 22, 2020

LPC approves design for condo conversion at 120-year-old Hotel Wales

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved plans to retrofit Carnegie Hill's historic Hotel Wales, which is set to be converted into luxury condominiums. The proposal from Form4 Design Studio and Higgins Quasebarth & Partners retains the hotel's Beaux-Arts facade, terra cotta elements, and scroll-bracketed balconies, as CityRealty reported. But the biggest alteration planned for the Carnegie Hill Historic District building is the new cornice and rooftop addition, the design of which the LPC on Tuesday said needs to be modified.
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For $10M, an Upper East Side townhouse with downtown loft style

Listing images courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

December 3, 2019

For $10M, an Upper East Side townhouse with downtown loft style

By Alexandra Alexa

Located on the corner of Third Avenue, this five-story townhouse at 182 East 94th Street brings downtown loft living to the Upper East Side. With over 5,800 square feet of interior space, the residence comes with a roof terrace, separate studio apartment on the ground floor, private parking, and nearly 4,500 square feet of unused development rights. The sprawling pad was constructed in 2012 and has yet to change ownership. The property listed last week for $9.975 million and is also available on the rental market for $30,000/month.
Get the full tour

Distinctive Homes

January 4, 2019

Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion with Broadway cachet and a big money past tries again at $29.5M

Just over a year ago, The Real Deal reported that Tony Award-winning Broadway producers Janet and Howard Kagan (“Tuck Everlasting,” “Pippin”) had put the 25-foot-wide, 12,729-square-foot mansion at 11 East 82nd Street, purchased for $24.5 million in 2009, on the market, asking $44 million. The impressive Upper East Side limestone-and-brick townhouse was also known for having previously belonged to financier Ron Perelman. The 1895 building in all its six-story, elevator-enhanced, Gilded Age glory has just been relisted for $29.5 million, a hefty haircut from last year's ask.
Embark on the grand tour

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To live across from Central Park, you’ll pay 25% more than every bordering neighborhood

Via Wikimedia

September 25, 2018

To live across from Central Park, you’ll pay 25% more than every bordering neighborhood

To make Central Park your front yard, you'll have to fork over $277,000 more than the median sale price of every bordering neighborhood. A new report by Property Shark looks at just how much more New Yorkers are willing to spend to be near the 843-acre oasis, a real estate trend which the group calls the "Central Park effect." According to the analysis, the median sale price of units along the first row of blocks across the park was 25 percent more expensive than that of every nearby area. And in the priciest section, the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill, that rose to a 93 percent difference.
More on the Central Park effect

Real Estate Trends

Anthony Bourdain’s Upper East Side apartment is asking $3.7M

Photo of Bourdain via Wikimedia

September 19, 2018

Anthony Bourdain’s Upper East Side apartment is asking $3.7M

By Annie Doge

The Upper East Side home of late chef Anthony Bourdain is for sale for $3.7 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Located at 40 East 94th Street in the Carnegie Hill Tower, the apartment features five bedrooms, a sleek high-end kitchen, and lots of custom built-in storage. Bourdain and his ex-wife Ottavia Busia purchased the condo in late 2014 for $3.35 million, according to city property records.
See it here

March 13, 2018

For $3M, live in a historic Carnegie Hill townhouse with all the perks of a condo

By Hannah Frishberg

Located within the posh Upper East Side enclave of Carnegie Hill at 1281 Madison Avenue, this gracefully restored 1,712-square-foot townhouse-style duplex is stunning inside and out, and asking an even $3 million. The lofty 11-foot ceilings and generously-sized West-facing windows allow for plenty of air and light throughout the apartment, but perhaps the best part is that it's connected to an adjacent condominium and is afforded all the perks of that property.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

December 28, 2016

Lovely prewar duplex in Carnegie Hill is up for both rent and sale

By Emily Nonko

You've got options when it comes to this prewar duplex at 1281 Madison Avenue, a Carnegie Hill cooperative that's a block away from Central Park. After being on the market for $3.125 million (price chopped down from $3.495 million) it is now also on the rental market, asking $10,000 a month. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom pad has some lovely prewar details still intact, like the large wood-framed windows, equipped with window seats, parquet floors, fireplaces and 11-foot ceilings.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

March 2, 2016

Grand, Under-Construction Carnegie Hill Townhouse Could be Yours for $18M

By Ondel Hylton

Pre-war architecture is alive and well on the Upper East Side. At 178 East 94th Street, along a bucolic, tree-lined stretch of Carnegie Hill, a six-story, 7,650-square-foot, single-family home is squeezing into place as if it's been on the brownstone block for decades. The 36.5-foot-wide home is being built and designed by Daniel Kohs, owner of Long Island-based Madik Realty. Called the Danville House, the home hit the market earlier this month for $18 million. The sole exterior rendering accompanying the listing shows a red-brick exterior accentuated by vertical piers, culminating into pointed and spherical pinnacles. It's crowned near its apex by an open colonnade not unlike that of Murray Hill's Morgan Lofts.
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September 8, 2015

Elegant and Historic Carnegie Hill Townhouse Asks $7.45 Million

By Emily Nonko

Carnegie Hill, a neighborhood of the Upper East Side, is known for its good bones—much of the area lies within historic districts and is dominated by brownstones, townhouses, mansions and museums. This particular property, at 121 East 91st Street, is located on a leafy and residential block of impressive architecture. The townhouse, built at the turn of the century, is no less impressive. It's been well-maintained from the outside and well-modernized from within. It is now on the market for $7.45 million after selling for $4.4 million back in 2003.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

September 3, 2015

Miraculously Unscathed by Time, This Historic Wooden UES Townhouse Seeks Tenants

Townhouses available for rent have a way of seeming decadent and dreamy, the perfect home for a collective of friends or a lucky city family. Their monthly bill is often but a dream for many as well, and this Upper East Side home asking $18,500 a month is no exception; the house itself, however, is quite exceptional. The amazingly preserved home at 120 East 92nd Street, as well as its neighbor at number 122, and a third, a block over at number 160, comprise a trio of wooden houses built between 1859 and 1871, before the city sprung up on all sides. This collection of dainty wooden houses presents an utterly charming shock of nostalgia amid the brick, stone and steel of Manhattan's Upper East. One of the last wood-frame houses to be built in Manhattan, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission called 120 East 92nd "...a delightful surprise. Time and change have passed it by." But change, in this case, has been good: The three-story, four-bedroom home's longtime owners have renovated it for comfort and livability–and preserved it with the utmost care; it boasts every modern convenience while keeping its historic beauty.
Take a look inside this rare historic home

December 19, 2014

Beautiful $2.9M Carnegie Hill Duplex Sports a Sweeping Staircase

A charming duplex at 64 East 86th Street is available for a recently discounted $2.85 million. This 2,100-square-foot pad boasts all the offerings of a chic suburban home all within arms' reach of Central Park, the Met and the Guggenheim. And to top it all off, that gorgeous staircase…
More on that, here

Distinctive Homes

December 4, 2014

Remodeled Emery Roth Townhouse Returns, Asking $15M

For some reason, this remodeled five-story townhouse at 1145 Park Avenue couldn’t command its initial $18.9 million asking price. Now it has returned with a more appealing $14.9 million tag, and it’s hoping prospective buyers will be drawn to its carefully chosen high-end details and its bright, modern design.
Take a look at more photos, here

Distinctive Homes

November 4, 2014

Dennis Mehiel Re-Lists Carhart Mansion Condo Asking $35 Million

Dennis Mehiel, corrugated cardboard magnate who ran against Gov. Cuomo in a 2002 election for lieutenant governor, has put his sprawling 10,350-square-foot duplex at the Carhart Mansion on the market, asking $35.9 million. This, after attempting to claim $35 million for it back in 2008, just a few years after he purchased the pad for only $15 million in 2005--"only" being a relative term, of course. The award-winning condo has a two-story master, an 1,100-square-foot grand salon, and the potential for six more private chambers..
Take a look inside, here

Distinctive Homes

October 9, 2014

Fifth Avenue Penthouse with Conservatory and Solarium Reduces Price to $10M

The penthouse at 1158 Fifth Avenue has just undergone yet another price chop nearly a year and a half after entering the market. The distinctive pad, initially listed for $17 million, has now made its way down to $9.95 million. Translation: someone is going to get a great deal on this Museum Mile penthouse with a lush terrace and a conservatory. The home’s antique furnishings and old-world details, compliments of its interior and landscape designer owner Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard, are admittedly specific although fitting in theme. Right now the many pieces and varying prints seem to compete with the architecture. Perhaps removing half the clutter would mitigate the distraction and bring out more of the home’s true beauty. However, whether you appreciate the décor or feel it needs to be significantly pared down, you won’t be able to deny this home is a rare and exquisite find.
See what's inside, here

Distinctive Homes

<b>The New Upper East Side: Changes Are Coming Above 86th Street</b>

The Upper East Side isn’t just for your grandparents anymore. Photo by Ed Yourdon cc

October 1, 2014

The New Upper East Side: Changes Are Coming Above 86th Street

By Dana Schulz

There's been so much talk lately about how the Upper East Side is the next cool 'hood--this guy even says it's cooler than Brooklyn--and while that may be true (the neighborhood's got a Meatball Shop; is there really any use denying it anymore?), we have our sights set slightly farther north. The high 80's and 90's, clustered between Park and 1st Avenues, is a hot spot for young professionals who are looking for little more culture and a little less of the bro-tastic bar scene, as well as for just-starting-out families who want a community feel, but not the sky-high rents of Park Avenue and Museum Mile. A slew of new residential developments are popping up in the area, as are fun, independent restaurants and bars. And this piece of Manhattan offers almost just the same transportation convenience as the Upper East Side proper, but with lower rents and a calmer feel.
More on the new Upper East Side

September 9, 2014

Regal Penthouse at 1185 Park Avenue Returns, Asking $25 Million

The impressive penthouse at 1185 Park Avenue is back on the market. The palatial estate was listed last year, asking $27.5 million. However, buyers apparently felt that price was too expensive for a sprawling five-bedroom duplex with an astounding 2,850-square-foot wrap-around terrace. So, the Carnegie Hill prewar pad has returned with a $2.5 million discount and high hopes that history won’t repeat itself.
Take a look inside the pristine pad, here

Distinctive Homes

July 11, 2014

$10.6 Million Sale on Fifth Avenue Features City Views Like Artwork