Architecture Wednesday: The Carhart Mansion

To be clear, it’s not really the entire Carhart Mansion, but it is one of four residences carved into what was the 1913 Amory S. Carhart Mansion at 3 East 95th Street, New York City; and it is the penthouse duplex in the building, which may explain its $34 million price tag.

It’s a five-bedroom four-full-bath, with three powder rooms, penthouse with over 7,140 square feet of interior living space and a 5,200 square foot array of terraces.

I’ve always wanted an “array” of terraces!

The private elevator opens directly into the foyer with herringbone oak floors, and a hallway leads east, past an ornate marble-and-tile powder room, to the sunken living room with a loggia at the north end. The room also features recessed east-facing windows, a fireplace with an exotic striated-stone surround, and a pair of glass doors that open onto a terrace with limestone columns.

The formal dining room connects, by way of a gallery, to the kitchen with its three skylights, stone center island and custom white lacquer cabinetry; the staff suite — and you know you’ll need “staff” or, if you're Mistress Maddie, "houseboys" — is located next to the kitchen.

On the other side of the gallery are three bedrooms, two of which have en-suite baths; the third faces east onto the loggia, with its own bath just across the hall. The master bedroom has three sets of recessed arched windows that face south toward the quaint mansard roofs across 95th Street; the fireplace is sheathed in white; and the adjacent dressing room has built-in shoe racks and discreet frosted windows. The sumptuous master bathroom also faces south through frosted glass and has a free-standing soaking tub, Italian mosaic tile and a corner shower. 

An elevator, or a spindle staircase with a carved oak banister, takes you to the upper level, used as a media room and library with yet another fireplace, a wall of built-in bookshelves, and a triple set of French doors that open onto a wraparound terrace; this outdoor spaces has a built-in television screen, a bar and views of Central Park to the west. 

If that wasn’t enough to get you to sign the contracts, the Carhart Mansion is a full service building with concierge and twenty-four-hour doorman.

What a way to start the New Year!

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Douglas Elliman