Stribling bills this mammoth Upper East Sider as a "LEGENDARY 40' WIDE TOWNHOUSE." No doubt. But we're having trouble unearthing the legend. The spartan description ("Five bedrooms, five staff rooms, elevator.") and lack of interior photos aren't helping much. So far we've ruled out "Old Hunter College frat," as Stribling makes special mention of the place's "exceptional provenance." Anybody got the backstory? Or is the legend in the girth and courtyard arboretum? Asking $26.5 million.
UPDATE: Ah, right, Paul Mellon's house. Says our in-the-know source, "Whoever buys it'll have to gut it. It's 'French' in that slightly tacky, 1960's, '2001: A Space Odyssey' kind of way that only a Mellon could pull off. But hey, you can't argue with 40'"
· Listing: 125 E. 70th St. [Stribling]