Description

234 West 138th is a rarely-available Georgian Revival-style townhouse in the grandest section of historic Striver’s Row. Long the artfully curated home of trailblazing publisher Jenette Kahn, who helmed DC Comics and MAD Magazine for over 26 years and is now a movie producer renowned for films like Clint Eastwood's GRAN TORINO. This expansive property features five bedrooms, formal dining room, living room, library, eat-in-kitchen, windowed home office, kitchenette, quiet garden, six fireplaces, exceptional space for storage, and private parking. Parlor Floor The impressive L-shaped stoop of brownstone and black ironwork leads to the grand Parlor floor. A perfect stage for entertaining, it boasts 11-foot high ceilings, a well-proportioned living room, gallery, and library. It retains much of the original and elegant 19th century design with quarter-sawn oak wainscoting, three fireplaces and a majestic staircase that cascades into the central gallery. Garden Level Stairs from the gallery lead down to the garden floor where you're transported to a light and airy kitchen with clean modern lines. The full-width kitchen boasts a custom-designed island, stainless steel cabinetry, and colorfully executed breakfast banquette. Separate cocktail area is framed by a playful illuminated wall of ascending "champagne" bubbles. Adjacent formal dining room is itself a work of art with hardwood floor painted in a marble tromp l'oeil, a decorative coffered ceiling installation, and sculptural wood-burning fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open from the kitchen to the private garden with its own mature Japanese Yoschino Cherry tree. Double doors connect to the rear carriage lane where there is a private outdoor parking space behind the house. Third Floor The third floor includes an expansive primary suite with sky-lit five-piece bathroom. A south-lit second bedroom, windowed home office, and two fireplaces complete the floor. Fourth Floor An additional three bedrooms frame the sunny and bright top floor. A central light-way allows for additional windows in the kitchenette and bathroom, and a large skylight crowns the home's grand staircase. Basement A generous 1,350 sq.ft. of additional private space for storage and home mechanicals. Neighborhood Striver's Row was completed in 1893 as a thoughtfully planned townhouse neighborhood. Originally called King's Court after its developer David King, the two blocks are made up of three stylistically-distinct sections designed by Stanford White, Bruce Price and Clarence Luce, and James Brown Lord. The southern-most Lord Houses are the widest at over 21’. Their facades feature fine stonework detail and a handsomely varied color palette with deep brownstone and crimson brick masonry, black ironwork at street-level, and green-hued cornices above. Strivers Row's rear carriage alleyways, a townhouse amenity typically found in pre-war sections of cities like London and Washington D.C., are almost wholly unique in Manhattan and additionally distinguish these two historic blocks. Listing courtesy of Sothebys International Realty ...
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