Legendary Actress Katharine Hepburn's former Manhattan townhouse in Turtle Bay Gardens is listed for $7.2 million. Hepburn resided at the 164-year-old property from 1931 until her death in 2003 at the age of 96.
The four-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse at 244 E. 49th St., built in the late 1800s, was sold by Hepburn's estate for $3.9 million in 2004 to the current owner. The current seller has decided to part with the home due to decreased visits to New York City.
“The owners purchased the house as a pied-à-terre and because they have been coming to NYC less frequently, they made the difficult decision to sell,” said Lisa Larson of Sotheby’s International Realty, who is handling the listing. “It was a tough decision as the renovation and interior design of the house was a labor of love and they have thoroughly enjoyed the house over the years.”
Spanning 4,560 square feet over five stories, the townhouse boasts six fireplaces, a restored wooden staircase, and Hepburn’s preserved mirrored vanity. The garden floor features a stone-tiled foyer, an eat-in kitchen with a built-in breakfast table, double ovens, and a butler’s pantry with a Sub-Zero wine cooler. The dining room offers access to the building’s private green space and the lush Turtle Bay Gardens, a shared private park with landscaped flora and fountains, accessible exclusively to the surrounding 20 townhouses.
The upstairs parlor level includes a formal living room, a Juliette balcony, a wet bar, and a rear library. The third floor houses the primary bedroom and a secondary bedroom currently used as an office, while the top floor contains two additional bedrooms with walk-in closets. The lowest level features a wine cellar, a laundry room, and a half bathroom.
Turtle Bay Gardens residents have previously included Bob Dylan, E.B. White and Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim's former townhouse at 246 East 49th St., measuring 5,690 square feet, sold for $7 million last December.
