Modernist Upper East Side loft hits the market for the first time in 40 years for $4.9M

In 1979, accessories designer Reva Ostrow asked artist and designer Ward Bennett to redesign her Upper East Side apartment. Located in the Rosario Candela-designed 955 Fifth Avenue, Bennett responded by gutting the classic pre-war apartment and transforming it into a stylish, industrial loft with exposed beams, terrazzo floors, stainless-steel accents, and iconic furniture. Over the past 40 years, Ostrow has kept the apartment in pristine “museum-like” condition, with every object still precisely where Bennett placed it. “Hiring him was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she once said. Now, in order to spend more time with her family, Ostrow has placed the one-of-a-kind residence on the market for $4,900,000.

The living room is almost 30 feet wide and has oversized windows that look out onto Central Park. The space features a wood-burning fireplace and furniture selected by Bennett, like a pair of iconic Corbusier LC4 chaise longues, though Bennett removed the extra leather padding to expose their sculptural form. As architect Lee Mindel, a longtime fan, says of Bennett’s work, “You can’t add or take anything away—it’s reduced to its essence.”

Even the windows were custom designed by Bennett, featuring rounded corners and Venetian blinds between two panes of glass.

Frosted glass, glossy terrazzo floors, wall-to-wall carpeting in some areas, and quilts hanging on the walls add a variety of textures to the minimal yet eclectic space.

The dining room is defined by an original Candela curved wall and can be closed off with a pocket door. The dining table was cast out of the same terrazzo as the floor. The chairs are a cane-backed version of Bennett’s Landmark Chair, still available through Herman Miller.

The kitchen is clad in stainless steel, with hidden cabinets offering many storage options and a dining nook.

A red column provides a pop of color in the entryway to the bedroom, which doesn’t have a door. The bathroom features a sleek custom vanity and Josef Hoffmann chair. The residence is currently configured as a one bedroom withtwo full bathrooms and a powder room, but there is a possibility of transforming it to add multiple bedrooms.

955 Fifth Avenue is a full-service boutique co-op with two apartments per floor, 24-hour doormen and a resident manager. Amenities include a stunning roof garden, a large gym, laundry, and a private storage room for each apartment.

[Listing: 955 Fifth Avenue, 7A by Laurie Stolowitz and Iris Klatsky of Stribling]

[At CityRealty]

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Listing images courtesy of Stribling