Former Yugoslavia sells one of the most luxurious mansions in New York
A luxury mansion on the Upper East Side, at 854 famous Fifth Avenue, is for sale for $ 50 million. One of the last surviving houses of the "gilded Age" was built in 1905 for Robert Livingston Beekman, who later became governor of Rhode Island. And during the Cold War, the house was equipped with a Faraday grille, so that spies would have no opportunity to eavesdrop on its inhabitants. The most interesting things in New York: https://www.newyorkgid.com .
The house number 854 on the famous Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side, was built by the same architectural firm that designed the famous Grand Central Station.
In the windows of the mansion overlooking Central Park, the Yugoslavs inserted bulletproof glass. Subsequently, the upper floors of the building were protected by a Faraday lattice, so that during the years of the Cold War it was possible to hold secret meetings here without fear of wiretapping.
According to Tristan Harper, a real estate broker Douglas Elliman, engaged in the sale of the house, in 1963, the leader of Yugoslavia, Joseph Broz Tito, hid in this mansion for some time after an unsuccessful attempt on him at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in 1963.
The mansion was originally built for the New York stockbroker Robert Livingston Beekman in 1905. Beekman subsequently became governor of Rhode Island. The house cost him $60,000. In the photo — a large dining room of the mansion.
Beekman decorated the house with marble balustrades, huge frescoes and decorative wooden panels taken in some French castle. Among the rich of the gilded age, it was fashionable to decorate their mansions in the style of French chateaux.
The next owner of the mansion was Emily Thorne Vanderbilt Sloane White, the granddaughter of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. Together with her husband, Henry White, she moved into the mansion, acquiring it for $450,000. The photo shows a small salon on the ground floor, facing Fifth Avenue.
Emily Thorne Vanderbilt White added luxury to the mansion.
Through the efforts of Emily Thorne Vanderbilt White, gilded figures of cherubs appeared under the ceiling in the main living room.
The Vanderbilt heiress decorated the ceiling of the Large Salon with a fresco with angels in the clouds.
The portrait shows Robert Livingston Beekman, the first owner of the mansion.
The second owner of the mansion is Emily Thorne Vanderbilt Sloane White.
After the death of Emily Vanderbilt White in July 1946, the Yugoslav authorities acquired the mansion. Due to the post-war decline in the New York real estate market, the Yugoslavs were able to buy a house for only $300,000. It was used as a Yugoslav mission in New York.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia, the mansion was divided by the UN among the five states created in its place.
The largest part of the mansion belongs to Serbia. Now the Serbian mission to the UN is located here.
Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia jointly own 50 buildings around the world. By common agreement, they should be sold and the income divided between the countries. But only 4 buildings, including 854 Fifth Avenue, are currently on the market. The thing is that the countries of the former Yugoslavia have difficulty coming to a solution that satisfies everyone on the terms of sale. With this building, the decision was also not easy. So, when billionaire Joshua Harris officially approached the owners last year, offering to buy a house for $50 million, five countries could not agree on this deal.
Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, eventually bought a mansion on 69th Street for $45 million. Only after that, realizing what a great opportunity they had missed, the five countries made a common decision and put the house up for sale. It remains only to wait for the next billionaire contender.
Keywords: Real estate | New york | Mansion | Chic