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Modernist Upper East Side townhouse seeks $35M after price cut

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The William Hamby and George Nelson-designed home still seeks a buyer

Christie’s International Real Estate

The modernist townhouse at 17 East 65th Street has been on and off the market for four years now, but for its latest go-round—the home is now listed with Christie’s International Real Estate—it’s finally gotten a price chop. The townhouse, known as the Sherman Fairchild Mansion, has been discounted to $35 million, after listing several times with a $40 million price tag. The New York Post first reported the sale.

The house itself was designed by William Hamby and George Nelson, and dates back to 1941; the brokerbabble describes it as “an architectural tour de force unlike any other in New York,” thanks to its innovative design. The home is essentially split into two halves—one area dedicated to common spaces, and the other to bedrooms—that are connected via a series of ramps, which criss-cross over an open, airy great room that’s topped with a huge skylight.

The facade, however, is not original; it was added to the home by Milton Klein in 1981, in a move the AIA Guide to New York City calls “a sorry fate for the Hamby/Nelson wonder.” Alas.

The home itself has five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, plenty of space to display art—the building is currently owned by art dealers French & Company—tons of storage, and “a study/library worthy of The Frick,” per the listing.