Well located off Park Avenue, 132 East 62nd Street is a stunningly beautiful, 20 foot wide, 15 room, 5 storey plus basement residence with elevator. For the last two years, master craftsman have lived on site and restored and renovated this property inside and out to create an immeasurably gracious and comfortable home distinguished by outstanding workmanship, quality materials, state of the art appliances and understated elegance. Built in 1871 by the esteemed architect John Sexton, this Italianate Brownstone is part of the Upper East Side Historic District. For fifty years, it was home to the renowned literary couple Bennett and Phyllis Cerf, he founded Random House publishing and she edited the Dr. Seuss books and later married the political luminary, former Mayor to New York City, Robert Wagner. The Cerf/Wagner home was a social magnet for the cultural intelligentsia and the political elite. The bookshelves still hold literary treasures signed and annotated by authors such as: Faulkner Mailer, Capote, and Didion. Judy Garland slept here, as did Frank Sinatra and Hubert Humphrey. The current owner, an accomplished designer, fell in love with the historic provenance both architectural and personal of this home and inspired her team to collaborate with her to re-facet this home into a jewel. As she wanted to preserve the legacy of this home, in addition to the real estate, she purchased the glorious Baccarat chandelier in the Drawing Room, the precious books, the fine art including an abstract oil painting by Frank Sinatra, an oil portrait of Mayor Wagner, and other paintings and sculptures that give the house historic continuity. The façade has been restored to the original brownstone and charming wrought iron gates enclose the front garden and balustrades embellish the Parlor Floor windows. The Main Entrance opens onto a lovely foyer with carrera marble floors and glazed walls. The Service entrance has wood floors, a mud room and leads into the pantry. The ground floor is brilliantly reoriented so that the entrance foyer, gallery, chef’s kitchen and living/dining open onto a serene Zen garden with water wall. Both the Entrance Door and the Garden Door are custom crafted. The original staircase has been reinforced and leads to a grand Parlor Floor with a garden facing Drawing Room, a center Den and a street facing Library/Dining Room. High ceilings, fine architectural details, restored period mantles and elegant proportions distinguish these rooms. The third floor is entirely dedicated to a luxurious Master Suite comprising: Master Bedroom with restored wood burning fireplace, Ensuite Bath, Dressing Room and Mahogany Wood Paneled Study with wood burning fireplace. The fourth floor offers two exquisite bedrooms each with ensuite baths and a central kitchenette with laundry. The fifth floor boasts three more bedrooms, a sitting room, and two bathrooms, one is an ensuite bath. The top floor has two skylights. Altogether, 6 lovely bedrooms, 6.5 baths, as well as a renovated basement and elevator plus a landscaped garden complete this exceptional property. Some of the furniture and fine art is available for purchase separately. Price: $15.5 million
