There are no peers to the magnificent townhouses and mansions that New York City's gentry called home at the turn of the century. One such example is 125 East 65th Street, an Upper East Side townhouse dating back to 1904.
The home was designed by Charles A. Platt, who also designed homes for the Roosevelts and the Astors. Its first owner was Dr. Frederic S. Reed, a founder of Columbia University’s Department of Physiology who is known for his own research and his family's philanthropy. In 1944, publishing magnate Henry R. Luce bought the mansion and gifted it to the China Institute in memory of his father, a former missionary in China. The non-profit stayed there for the next 70 years until putting on the market in 2014.
In 2017, its expansive size and excellent bones made it a natural location for the annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Though this year’s event is postponed, we can still take a look at the designer interiors inside the five-bedroom, six-bath home. It currently on the market for $19.8 million.
The home was designed by Charles A. Platt, who also designed homes for the Roosevelts and the Astors. Its first owner was Dr. Frederic S. Reed, a founder of Columbia University’s Department of Physiology who is known for his own research and his family's philanthropy. In 1944, publishing magnate Henry R. Luce bought the mansion and gifted it to the China Institute in memory of his father, a former missionary in China. The non-profit stayed there for the next 70 years until putting on the market in 2014.
In 2017, its expansive size and excellent bones made it a natural location for the annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Though this year’s event is postponed, we can still take a look at the designer interiors inside the five-bedroom, six-bath home. It currently on the market for $19.8 million.
In this article:
The neo-Federal style home is distinguished by its Flemish brick facade and stone trim.
A gracious gallery leads to the entertaining rooms on the garden level.
The staging abounds with interesting art and furniture.
Interesting bar stools at the kitchen's center island
The rear kitchen opens up to a private garden.
The Suzhou garden was created by craftsmen in a style dating back to the Ming Dynasty.
All levels are connected by a grand staircase, as well as an internal elevator.
A wood-burning fireplace is the centerpiece of the parlor.
The rooms are connected by grand hallways.
The incredible dinner parties that could be had.
The fourth floor houses two full-width bedrooms with wood-burning fireplaces.
This dreamy fireplace and wall mirror in a secondary bedroom
From extra bedrooms to lounges, from meditation areas to game rooms, the uses of the upper-level rooms are limited only by the buyer's imagination.
Furnished to let a child's imagination run wild
Considering the feast for the eyes the home imparts, a meditation room is necessary.
This total palace of pleasure wouldn't be complete without a game room/contemporary cigar lounge
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Michelle Merritt
Michelle is a contributing writer and editor for real estate news in New York City
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