JAMES H & CORNELIA V ROBB HOUSE at 23 Park Ave. #1B

Apt. #1B at 23 Park Ave. is both unique and exceptional! At approx. 1500 square feet of living space, this garden level two bedroom, two and a half bathroom duplex has an array of possibilities. All it needs is vision and a contractor to make this a place for gracious living. The garden level has a living-room dining-room combination, a working fireplace, and a stage which leads out to a quaint sidewalk facing patio, providing unobstructed views of the iconic Empire State Building. The rear of the apartment includes a powder room, a separate kitchen, a pantry, a laundry room with a washer and dryer and a service entrance. The upstairs floor has two large bedrooms and two full baths. One is adjacent to the master bedroom and the second is through a spacious dressing area which can be considered a third legal third bedroom/walk-in closet or even a home office. The second bedroom has an atrium which overlooks the enormous living room and dining room areas below. With architectural modification and board approval, the atrium can be enclosed to create an additional room and square footage. Closets galore and hardwood oak floors complete this two-level home.Built in 1892 by McKim, Mead & White, with Sanford White as the partner in-chief, THE ROBB HOUSE-23 Park Ave. was originally the residence of retired businessman and former state assemblyman and Senator James Hampden Robb, and his wife Cornelia Van Rensselaer Robb. Design by White in the Italian Renaissance revival style, this 5 story palazzo was lauded a success. Upon its completion, Russell Sturgis, an architectural critic wrote, “the most dignified structure in all the quarter of town, not a palace, but a fit dwelling house for a first-rate citizen.”In 1923, the townhouse was bought by the Advertising Club of New York to be its clubhouse, where Ad club members included the young Bill Paley, J.C. Penney, and Bill Bernbach, conducted business in the main dining room over lunch. It remained in their possession until 1977 when they sold to a developer who converted it into a cooperative apartment house. 23 Park is one of the last remaining examples of late 19th Century private mansions in the city. Today, it stands as a designated New York City Landmark in Murray Hill. Only steps from the Morgan Library, Grand Central Station and an easy walk to midtown, Flatiron or Gramercy Park.