His heirs will donate the money to charity
New York, USA13 Aug. 2023, 00:01 8064 read 3 comments
A Gilded Age Manhattan townhouse recently restored to its original appearance as a single-family home is on the market for $65 million.
The sellers are the heirs of the late Aso O. Tavityan, a Bulgarian-born software entrepreneur, according to Candice Beineke, an attorney at Hughes Hubbard & Reed and executor of the estate. Tavitian died in April 2020 at the age of 80.
The house, on East 79th Street near the end of Central Park, dates to the late 1800s when it was commissioned by James E. Nichols, a successful New York businessman who worked in the wholesale grocery business, according to the agents of the listing, Serena Boardman and Susan Baker of Sotheby’s International Realty.
Designed by architect CPH Gilbert, the house was one of a series of mansions built on the block at the behest of railroad magnate Henry H. Cook, who bought the entire block to ensure that his own home, on the corner of East 78th Street, would be in good company. He sold each of the lots individually to prominent members of New York society, who each built their own trophy homes, according to the 2022 book Duke House and the Making of Modern New York.
Nichols’ widow, Elizabeth Griggs Nichols, was murdered on the property in 1915, strangled by burglars, according to news reports from the period. The house was handed over to new owners the following year, according to the book.
The 35-foot-wide mansion spans about 15,000 square feet and has exposures on three sides, thanks to a narrow alleyway at its western end. It features a series of entertaining spaces downstairs with solid mahogany doors and windows, marble surrounds and floors, English brown oak detailing, parquet de Versailles and herringbone white oak floors and carved plaster mouldings. A grand staircase, partially clad in marble, connects the lower floors and is topped with an ornate lamp.
The third floor includes an English brown oak-paneled library with a wood-burning fireplace with a green marble mantle and a series of windows with views of Central Park and the city. There is also a dining room and a large kitchen. The bedrooms are located on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors; the house is currently configured with six bedrooms, but the layout could be reconfigured to include more, Boardman says.
Tavitian bought the house in 1997 as a surprise gift for his late wife, Arlene Tavitian, according to Beinecke. He promised to rebuild her house, but she died before it was finished, the lawyer says.
Tavitian hired architects including Peter Pennoyer and Theodore Prudon to oversee the project, which involved a complete gutting of the interior and reconfiguration of the lower floors, which had recently been used as commercial space, for their original use as a private residence. The renovation took about five years and was completed in 2004, according to the listing agents. Beinecke said he did not know how much the project cost, but noted that Tavitian spared no expense.
Tavitian split his time between New York and Berkshire, Massachusetts, where he also owned a home. This property is also on the market for $9.95 million.
Tavitian had no children, and much of the proceeds from the Manhattan sale will be donated to charity, Beinecke said.
Aso Tavityan was born in Bulgaria to a family of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. In 1959 he moved to Beirut and then to the United States, where he obtained a master’s degree in atomic energy from Columbia University.
Tavityan is an honorary doctorate from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (USA) and the founder of one of the first and most successful software companies (Syncsort) in the USA.
Translation: BLIC
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2023-08-12 21:01:10
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