Associated Press
In the mid-1990s, when photographer and writer Priscilla Rattazzi walked into the greenhouse of Gloria Vanderbilt’s ivy-covered brownstone on Manhattan’s Upper East Side , she was sold.
Now, the town house, set in the neighborhood’s Carnegie Hill Historic District, on East 91st Street, is headed for sale again, hitting the market on Thursday for $11.995 million.
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“When I went to see the house first, what immediately attracted me was the greenhouse,” Rattazzi told Mansion Global. “That’s where Mrs. Vanderbilt had her painting studio. I walked in and saw all her paintings and easels.”
Rattazzi bought the home, built in the early 1800s, from the late socialite, heiress and fashion designer in 1995, property records show.
She’s retained the artistic use of the greenhouse space — an easy feat given the amount of light that floods the room — and transformed it into a gallery and entertaining space.
“It’s definitely where I’ve spent most of the 27 years here. It used to be a family room when the kids were little,” she said. “It’s where I feel the happiest, and it’s all to do with the light. It’s just spectacular.”
The home spans 6,400 square feet over its five floors, and though it’s been recently upgraded, it still retains its old-world charm. It’s on the market with Tania Friedland and Allison Chiaramonte of Compass and Jed Garfield of Leslie Garfield.
“About three years ago, I thought to myself it was starting to look a bit worn, so I did a major renovation,” Rattazzi explained. “I modernized it and painted it from top to bottom, put in a beautiful eat-in kitchen. I made it much nicer, so I made my mark.”
The house boasts features including a patio garden, a fourth-floor solarium, four wood-burning fireplaces, a large elevator and a formal entrance gallery that opens on to the home’s eat-in kitchen, which following Rattazzi’s revamp has white marble countertops sourced in Vermont, custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances.
A curved staircase winds among levels, revealing stately landings, a south-facing formal dining room, a study, six bedrooms and a wood-paneled living room, which after the greenhouse, is Rattazzi’s favorite room to be in, she said.
As for the next generation of stewards for the home, “I hope there will be plenty of young children running up and down the stairs,” Rattazzi said. “I’m kind of hoping that they keep the greenhouse — I would love it if it were someone with an artistic bent.”
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