This Upper East Side townhouse has been brilliantly re-imagined by Michael Chen Architects, with the mission of building a brand new structure inside of a 19th century mansion. The results are stunning; this house gracefully defies conventions, and makes countless nods to its own legacy with its forward thinking floor plan and interior design. It is an ecologically conscious house, which employs locally sourced materials and work by local artisans, all contributing to a wonderfully cohesive home with over 11,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. 

On the front and rear exteriors, 34 East 68th Street offers two pioneering terra cotta facades. Normally a decorative material, it's use here has been praised by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for its performance as a brownstone stand-in on the front facade, while it plays a completely different role on the rear, creating a sinuous 30-foot tall vertical living garden with an impressive collection of native New York flora. 

Entered at the street level, the entry foyer boasts a custom sculpted ceiling, and black limestone slab flooring with radiant heat. In addition to a cloak room and a powder room, the garden floor also includes an impressive south-facing kitchen and informal dining area, both of which enjoy views of the lush outdoor space and vertical garden. The brilliantly conceived kitchen is adorned with Cerused white oak cabinets, Calacatta Lincoln slab counters, and a full suite of integrated Gagganeu and SubZero appliances. 

On the parlor floor, the formal sitting room and dining rooms are open to each other whilst incorporating a full service pantry, designed both for facility and as a feature of this 1,445 square feet of grand entertaining space with twelve-and-half-foot ceilings. This floor is accessible from both the first floor front reception room and the kitchen, via two separate architecturally impressive staircases of solid travertine block and bronze. These staircases are integral to the overall design of the house. Together, the public rooms on the garden and parlor floors provide over 3000 square feet of versatile and free-flowing living and entertaining space. 

The entire third floor encompasses the master suite, complete with a luxurious bathroom spanning the entire width of the house, a beautifully fitted dressing room with morning kitchen, and a private south-facing terrace. On the fourth and fifth floors, there are a total of five additional bedrooms and four bathrooms. An informal living space on the fifth floor is equipped with a full wet bar, and features a custom skylight installation piece by artist Sarah Oppenheimer. A glass penthouse structure opens up to a roof garden with generous outdoor seating and plantings, as well as a full outdoor kitchen and Viking grill. 

The house has a high-speed elevator servicing all six floors and the roof, 15 zones of energy efficient climate control and humidification, and utilizes Crestron controls for the environment, audiovisual, lighting, and motorized window treatments. There are six wood burning fireplaces, and the gardens are tended to by automated irrigation systems.

Ryan Seacrest

Famous owners