A 1902 Carriage House Just Became Manhattan's Most Surprising Mansion

Lucía Torres · 2026-10-21

Some homes have a story. This one has a whole biography. At 165 East 70th Street, on a quiet, tree-lined block of Manhattan's Upper East Side, a limestone carriage house has been quietly reinventing itself for more than a century. It was built in 1902 by architect C.P.H. Gilbert for banker Henri P. Wertheim — a Neo-Italian Renaissance structure measured at a generous 33 by 100 feet, wide by design so horse and carriage could pass through with ease. Since then, it's worn a lot of hats. In 1920, it became chauffeur's quarters for Stephen C. Clark, heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune. Banking heir Paul Mellon and his wife, Bunny, bought it in 1965. And after a 2009 sale, the current owners spent years turning it into the expansive single-family residence that's now on the market, represented by Mike Fabbri of The Agency New York. ### Four Years, One Very Careful Transformation Starting in 2011, the home underwent a meticulous four-year renovation under architecture firm Sawyer | Berson. The goal wasn't to erase history — it was to let the original character breathe while reimagining the interiors for modern living. The result: six bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, six wood-burning fireplaces, and three private landscaped terraces. Every floor was designed to feel connected, so the house flows as one home rather than a stack of separate rooms. "A lot of times, these grand homes can feel cold," Fabbri said. "But one of the most welcome features of this one is how warm it is and how much it feels like a place that deserves to be filled with people and memories and laughter." ### The Details That Set It Apart The craftsmanship shows up everywhere you look: - Quarter-sawn, hand-pillowed oak floors - Venetian plaster walls - Custom silk carpeting and wallpaper - Heated sidewalks - A curb-cut driveway — a genuine Manhattan luxury Mirrored Horus bronze doors open from the street into a Petit Granit-floored private garage that doubles as an entertaining space. A honed Beauvallon limestone foyer wraps around a wrought iron and limestone staircase rising 46 feet toward a skylight above. That level also holds a custom mudroom, a 13-seat soundproof theater built for full-scale screenings, and private guest quarters with their own kitchen, living area, and ensuite. ### Floor by Floor, Room by Room The second floor is all about gathering: a living room with tempered glass windows overlooking 70th Street, a glass-enclosed dining room with custom Lockwood/Boone Collection pendants and hidden serveware storage, and an eat-in chef's kitchen with a quartzite island, American White Oak-paneled Sub-Zero, Miele, and Wolf appliances, plus a walk-out terrace. The third floor pairs a Sapele Mahogany-paneled library on one end with the primary suite on the other, complete with dual dressing rooms and mirrored marble baths. Up on the fourth level, three additional ensuite bedrooms share hallway access to a 598-square-foot irrigated terrace. The fifth floor offers soundproof private offices, a glass-paneled solarium, and direct rooftop terrace access. And because the north, south, and east walls are independent from neighboring structures, the home delivers a rare kind of privacy in the middle of the city. ### Below Grade, the Fun Really Starts A double-height cellar holds a Petit Granit-lined Jacuzzi and cold plunge, steam room, sauna, and massage room, plus a full gym walled and tiled in original two-inch virgin chestnut and mitered tile salvaged from the original horse ramps. A temperature-controlled 6,319-bottle wine cellar and a separate prep kitchen and laundry keep service well away from the entertaining spaces. Throughout, interiors are bathed in natural light, with access to more than 1,350 square feet of private outdoor space across multiple levels — from the heated kitchen terrace to the expansive fourth-floor walk-out. For anyone who works in or follows the maisons floriot world of high-end property, this one is worth a close look. It's a rare case where a century-old structure and a thoroughly modern vision actually get along.