A lovely Upper East Side carriage house that dates back to the turn of the century hit the market for $18.95 million, with Leslie J. Garfield’s Jed Garfield and Kristina McNerney as the brokers.
The home is owned by writer Ann Brashares, best known for her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and her husband, artist Jacob Collins. The ground floor, with its high ceilings and open layout, is given over to an artists’ studio, while the floors above are now the living quarters.
But the building’s artistic provenance goes further back; for decades, it was home to the arts institution SculptureCenter, exhibiting works by Alexander Calder and Isamu Noguchi, among others. The couple bought the place from the museum in 2001, and SculptureCenter now occupies a Maya Lin-designed building in Long Island City.
Because the building was fully outfitted as a museum and arts center, the couple had to make big changes; they brought on the firm Fairfax & Sammons to carry out the renovation, which brought a classic feel to the more than 4,000 square feet of living space—fitting, given its Upper East Side location.
“The house’s beauty lies in its proportions,” a 2007 New York Times profile noted. “The kitchen is nearly a perfect square, as is the library, with the result that you feel properly situated the moment you walk into either room.”
There are five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, along with an expansive kitchen, a library, and a stunning double-height entryway with a gorgeous staircase and a skylight. The home also has two outdoor spaces: a terrace off the kitchen, and a large, landscaped roof deck.
The listing notes that the ground-floor space could be converted to a different use—a basketball court, home theater, or some other modern amenity that a person paying $19 million for a home may desire.
Loading comments...