I
n the late 19th century, a wholesale grocer named James Nichols commissioned a limestone mansion at 4 East 79th Street after purchasing the property from railroad magnate Henry Cook. Tragically, Nichols' widow was murdered in the house in 1915. The property changed hands several times before being purchased by business magnate Aso Tavitian in 1997. Tavitian commissioned a gut renovation from architects Peter Pennoyer and Theodore Prudon, which was completed in 2004. The property was listed for sale in August 2023 for $65 million with Sotheby’s International Realty’s Serena Boardman and Susan Baker. The property was sold for $56 million to an undisclosed buyer in a near-record 21st-century sale. The sale was the second most expensive townhouse sale this year and tied for the seventh priciest sold in the city’s history. The proceeds from the sale are expected to be donated to charity through the Tavitian Foundation, which lists Carole Beinecke as its president.