The Greek Revival rowhouse at 344 West 22nd Street looks much like the neighboring 19th-century brick homes, which are all part of the Chelsea Historic District. But inside it’s clearly contemporary.
The house, stylishly renovated with the help of the architect Annabelle Selldorf, was the home of the art gallerist Barbara Gladstone, who died last year at age 89. Ms. Gladstone, who specialized in contemporary art, bought the building in 2011 for $6.3 million, above the asking price, then spent the next couple of years revamping the space.
The home’s white plaster walls are bedecked in modern artwork, surrounded by avant-garde sculptures. A sinuous, sky-lit staircase sits at the home’s center, next to an elevator, while an updated rear facade features floor-to-ceiling casement windows that provide ample light for the eye-catching pieces.
It is now back on the market by her estate with an asking price of $11.995 million, according to Scott Hustis, a broker at Compass who is listing the property with his colleague Mark Jovanovic. Annual property taxes are $44,027.
The house, built in 1841 between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, is four stories high and 21 feet wide with a classic front stoop. Measuring 4,395 square feet inside, it has five bedrooms, three full bathrooms and two powder rooms. Exterior space, including a landscaped rear garden and a balcony on each of the top three levels, totals 1,180 square feet.
“It’s in mint condition, it’s turnkey, and just done so tastefully,” Mr. Hustis said.
Ms. Gladstone had been a longtime client and friend of Ms. Selldorf, who designed two of her art galleries in Chelsea — on West 24th Street, in 1996, and on West 21st Street, in 2008. Ms. Gladstone’s gallery has a third location on the Upper East Side and branches have been opened in Brussels, Seoul and Los Angeles in recent years. (At the time of her death she was looking for additional space in Paris.)
“It was a great pleasure when Barbara asked us to design a townhouse for her,” Ms. Selldorf said in an email. She described the final product as having a “warm and welcoming attitude” that “embodies Barbara’s refined tastes.”
The house showcased Ms. Gladstone’s vast personal art collection, including works by contemporary artists like Andy Warhol, Rudolf Stingel and Richard Price.
Twelve pieces from her collection were recently auctioned off by Sotheby’s, bringing in a total of $18.5 million. Other artwork and modern furnishings are expected to be sold privately or auctioned, according to Michael Stout, Ms. Gladstone’s personal lawyer and the executor of the estate.
Ms. Gladstone, known for spotting and nurturing talent, represented dozens of artists over the years, among them Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring and Elizabeth Murray. She built one of the largest and most influential contemporary art galleries in New York.
And she entertained many in the art world at her Manhattan home. “She was a great cook, but she also had a great cook from the North Fork,” Mr. Stout said, referring to the home she owned on the east end of Long Island that is also being sold.
The main entrance to the townhouse is on the parlor level, where there is a front sitting room and formal dining area. The back sitting room is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace and opens to a balcony, which has a staircase to the landscaped garden below.
The garden level has a separate entrance. Through a mudroom is a hallway that leads to a guest bedroom with an en suite bathroom and a powder room at the front of the house. At the other end is a large eat-in kitchen, which opens to the garden and is equipped with a marble center island and countertops, stainless-steel appliances, a butler’s pantry and laundry area.
There is also a full basement that is currently used for storage.
The primary bedroom suite encompasses the third level. It features a second wood-burning fireplace, a marble bathroom, dressing room and two bedrooms. The balcony looks out onto the garden. The smaller bedroom was used as an office for Ms. Gladstone, and was one of her favorite rooms, according to Mr. Stout.
The floor also contains a wet bar with a refrigerator.
Another bedroom and a home gym/bedroom are at the top level, along with a full bathroom and a powder room. It, too, offers garden views from a balcony,
Throughout the house are light oak floors; high ceilings, reaching 11 feet in some places; and Venetian plaster walls.
“When you go upstairs, on every landing you have an art wall,” Mr. Hustis, the broker, said. “All these walls are crisp and white because the art is so spectacular.”
“For the next person you have the base,” he added. “It’s not a white box, it’s a true white canvass.”
The post Barbara Gladstone’s Chelsea Rowhouse Is Listed for $11.995 Million appeared first on New York Times.
