M
anhattan’s largest private home, the 20,000‑sq‑ft Woolworth Mansion on East 80th Street, closed a long‑running price saga when it sold for $38 million on Nov. 28. The limestone townhouse, built in 1915 for Helena Woolworth McCann by architect C.P.H. Gilbert, had been listed last year for just under $50 million—already a steep cut from the $59 million asking price in the previous fall—and far below the $90 million buyers sought in 2012.

    The 35‑ft‑wide estate contains nine bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and three kitchens, plus a gym, sauna, library, rooftop lounge, solarium, and an elevator that serves all floors. Its interior preserves early‑20th‑century details—stonework, stained‑glass windows, intricate mosaics, and an oversized dining hall designed for formal gatherings. The home’s grandeur is matched by its rarity; few comparable prewar townhouses exist on the Upper East Side.

    Long owned by the family of late fitness‑club founder Lucille Roberts, who purchased the house in 1995 for $6 million (about $13 million today), the mansion was extensively restored before the Roberts family moved out in 2016. Lucille hosted legendary holiday parties that drew up to 1,000 guests, and her children recall the home as the hub of those celebrations. Despite running a prominent women’s gym chain, she declined to install exercise equipment at home, preferring to work out outside.

    The property briefly entered the luxury rental market in 2021, commanding $80,000 a month and later $125,000 for a summer term, before returning to sale amid renewed demand for turnkey historic townhouses. Listing broker Adam Modlin of Modlin Group described the home as “the best value” for a property of this magnitude, a sentiment echoed by buyers who noted the final price is roughly equivalent to a boutique condo per 1,000 sq ft—a surprisingly modest figure for a home of this pedigree.

    The Woolworth Mansion is one of three neighboring houses developed for Frank Woolworth’s daughters. Its scarcity and the revived appetite for prewar architecture in Manhattan’s most coveted neighborhoods contributed to its final price. The sale underscores the renewed interest in historic townhouses that are ready to move in, a trend that has seen several record‑setting deals in the area over the past two years.

    The estate also attracted attention from lifestyle entrepreneur Martha Stewart, who toured the home and highlighted a Kaminski auction of 565 items from the Roberts collection. The auction featured silk pillows, oil paintings, and a Steinway grand piano, with pieces ranging from $50 to $2,500. The auction preview opened earlier this month, offering a glimpse into the mansion’s storied past.

    In short, the Woolworth Mansion’s $38 million sale marks the end of a dramatic, multi‑year pricing journey and reaffirms Manhattan’s Upper East Side as a coveted enclave for rare, prewar luxury homes.