National Academy Museum’s Upper East Side buildings return to market

It was nearly a year ago that the National Academy Museum decided to sell its Upper East Side headquarters. The museum had occupied several palatial Fifth Avenue buildings for more than 60 years, but facing insurmountable financial troubles, the institution made the choice to offload those properties, which were together valued at around $107 million.

The parcel—which includes two interconnecting townhouses at 1083 Fifth Avenue and 3 East 89th Street, and the 65-foot-wide school building at 5-7 East 89th Street—hit the market asking $120 million last April.

But after a year of not finding a buyer, the museum is trying a different tactic: the three buildings hit the market today as three separate listings, which can be purchased individually or as a package deal. Corcoran is handling the sale of the three buildings, which are priced as follows: 1083 Fifth Avenue and 3 East 89th Street are both asking $29.5 millio, while 5-7 East 89th Street is going for $19.95 million.

Each of the homes has its own distinctive features: 3 East 89th Street, for instance, was designed by architect Ogden Codman (known for creating many a home for the very wealthy Americans of the day), and has its original limestone facade. Its interior features include many of the home’s turn-of-the-century details (doric columns, a marble staircase with cast iron railings, parquet de Versailles wood floors, etc.), and there are seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms spread out over more than 17,000 square feet.

The townhouse at 1083 Fifth Avenue, meanwhile, holds the gorgeous marble staircase that showed up in many an Instagram from within the National Academy Museum, and other gorgeous architectural features. It was redesigned by Codman in 1913 to match the townhouse next door, and the two are connected via a large rotunda (with that beautiful curved staircase).

Other features include a 51-foot gallery, apparently known as “the Adam Room,” along with five bedrooms (two of which are master suites, because why not), 10.5 bathrooms, an elevator connecting the floors, and myriad fancy decorative details. (A listing for 5-7 East 89th Street has yet to appear.)

Courtesy of Corcoran

Courtesy of Corcoran

Courtesy of Corcoran

Together, the homes would go for $78.5 million, which a spokesperson for Corcoran notes could be the most expensive single-family home sold in the city. The record is currently $53 million, set in 2006 when J. Christopher Flowers purchased the Harkness Mansion.

• Listing: 3 East 89th Street [Corcoran]
• Listing: 1083 Fifth Avenue [Corcoran]
• National Academy Museum's Fifth Avenue Home Hits the Market for $120M [Curbed]
• National Academy Museum Will Sell Its Fifth Avenue Headquarters [Curbed]