A grand Upper East Side townhouse that, in 2016, aimed to fetch a princely $84.5 million has re-entered Manhattan’s luxury sales market — though for less of a price.
The newly renovated 8 E. 62nd St., a 14,825-square-foot property formerly owned by Somerset Partners CEO Keith Rubenstein, now asks $70 million, according to a Monday update on StreetEasy.
Nearly a decade ago, Rubenstein listed the townhouse for that higher sum, which if sold for that asking price would have broken a townhouse sales record by many millions. At the time, the 2006 deal for the Upper East Side’s Harkness House — a $53 million transaction — still held the crown.
Ultimately, Rubenstein saw the residence bounce on and off the market until 2022, when it entered contract for “nearly” $50 million, according to reports at the time. City records now show the limestone property traded hands for $48 million that September — with the buyer, now its seller, listed as an anonymous LLC.
In the years following Rubenstein’s $84.5 million listing, billionaire Len Blavatnik purchased the commercially zoned townhouse at 19 E. 64th St. for a breathtaking $90 million. That was in 2018 — and, in 2024, a double-wide residential townhouse in Greenwich Village sold for $72.5 million off-market. Those superlative figures still appear to stand.
For $70 million, a deep-pocketed buyer can purchase this newly listed six-bedroom property that dates to 1903 — and one designed by the architect of Grant’s Tomb, John H. Duncan. Its listing images show a home with palatial proportions — large fireplaces, a sweeping marble staircase, 17-foot ceilings and oversize entryways among the perks.
The listing additionally details touches that include original malachite mosaic flooring, an eat-in kitchen that looks out to a courtyard garden and a primary suite that spans the entire third floor. What’s more, there’s also a formal dining room whose view corridor extends to the Pierre Hotel, according to the listing.
Most notably, a relic from Rubenstein’s residency remains: a billiards room that’s lined with Hermès-leather walls.
It’s all capped by a roof terrace, accessible via an elevator, with views of Central Park, as well as a lounge and dining area below a cedar pergola. The lower level, meanwhile, has a wine cellar, a skylighted gym, a new sauna and a steam room.
Adam Modlin, of the Modlin Group, has the listing — and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.