S
et between two soaring high‑rise towers on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this 11,500‑sq‑ft Beaux‑Arts townhouse rises seven stories—cellar, five main floors, and a roof deck—offering a rare blend of historic grandeur and contemporary convenience. Built in 1901, the residence features seven bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, and seven original fireplaces that line the grand hallways. A sweeping spiral staircase, its iron balustrade and carved stone treads, climbs to the fifth floor, while a discreet elevator provides alternative access for guests and residents alike.

    The ground floor is a private retreat, containing a wine cellar that can hold over 1,000 bottles, a fully equipped gym with cardio and weight‑training stations, a game room with a pool table and a home‑theater setup, a secondary kitchen designed for entertaining, and three well‑proportioned bedrooms. The main living areas boast a lounge with a custom bar cabinet, a media room equipped with a built‑in projector for cinematic nights, and a palette of warm, saturated colors that reject the sterile gray of modern interiors. The third‑floor kitchen opens onto a terrace that features a cascading fountain, a patio with comfortable seating, and a view of the city skyline—an almost impossible backyard feel in the heart of Manhattan. A roof deck offers panoramic vistas of the Hudson River and the surrounding skyline, while the entryway showcases classic arches that echo the building’s Beaux‑Arts façade.

    Commissioned by builder Joseph A. Farley and designed by the architectural firm Janes & Leo, the townhouse first entered the market in 1901. It later passed to developer Samuel Borchard, who owned it until his 1930 death, as noted in his New York Times obituary. In the 1940s, exiled Russian prince Sergei Belosselsky‑Belozersky acquired the property, converting it into the House of Free Russia—a nonprofit organization for Russian immigrants that occupied the home for five decades. By 1999 the building had fallen into disrepair, described by owner Randall Rackson as an “empty building without a roof” plagued by rats and pigeons. Rackson purchased the townhouse, undertook an extensive restoration that returned the original architectural details to life, and has lived there ever since.

    Now the townhouse is listed for $29.75 million through Douglas Elliman’s Lydia Sussek. The sale preserves a Gilded‑Age masterpiece that continues to captivate buyers seeking a blend of historic elegance and modern luxury in New York City. Prospective buyers will appreciate the meticulous craftsmanship, the original stonework, and the seamless integration of historic and contemporary amenities.