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16 E 59th St. sits just beneath the Queensboro Bridge on‑ramp, a narrow three‑story brick block that has long drawn curious glances. In 1930 it opened as the “Home of the Gnomes,” a whimsical bakery that tried to enchant passersby with a storybook façade: a papier‑mâché gnome perched above the roof and another mid‑bite beside the door. The Great Depression knocked the venture out of business, but the building’s quirky silhouette survived, later housing an exterminator, a kitchen‑showroom and a handful of creative studios.

    Today the 6,500‑square‑foot mixed‑use property is on the market for $10 million. Its residential side boasts five bedrooms, three and a half baths, soaring 27‑foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, a Vermont Castings wood stove and a Juliet balcony that frames the Queensboro Bridge’s steel trusses and city traffic. A private terrace overlooks a 47‑by‑24‑foot garden—an unlikely oasis in Midtown. The penthouse, which once rented for $14,000 a month, still feels more like a rustic cabin than a typical New York apartment.

    The building’s zoning (R8/C2‑5) and roughly 9,500 sq ft of unused air rights offer a canvas for reimagining the space. Whether it becomes a contemporary townhouse, a boutique commercial concept, or remains a single residential and commercial unit, the structure’s offbeat history and playful proportions provide a unique selling point. The original gnome statues are gone, yet the great room’s scale, the vintage brickwork and the narrow frontage whisper of its theatrical past.

    A seasoned broker from Wingate Advisors, Ariel Ben Ezra, highlights the property’s potential for buyers who appreciate its character and the flexibility of its air rights. The listing presents a turnkey residence with the option to expand or preserve the building’s distinctive charm.