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Modern Townhouse Returns to Market After Price Chop

(19 Sept 2018) - Author: Jennifer Gould | New York Post



In Woody Allen’s 1986 film, “Hannah and Her Sisters,” the townhouse at 17 E. 65th St. — one of the city’s first modernist homes — gets a cameo. “It has an organic quality that’s almost entirely wholly interdependent, if you know what I mean,” Carrie Fisher’s character, April, says while touring the space and trying to impress its fictional architect, played by Sam Waterston. “I can’t put it into words. The important thing is, it breathes.”

In real life, the property is known as the Sherman Fairchild Mansion — and the 25-foot wide red granite manse is back on the market for $35 million, following a $5 million price slash and broker swap.


The home could also be called the city’s ultimate bachelor pad. It was commissioned in 1941 by aviation pioneer Sherman M. Fairchild, a lifelong bachelor, who founded aircraft manufacturing company Fairchild Aviation. He was the only son and heir of George Winthrop Fairchild, a Republican congressman and the first chairman of IBM.

Sherman commissioned architects George Nelson and William Hamby to build a home that would be as innovative as himself, according to the broker. The result: a non-traditional space that split the house into halves, with ramps that connect the front and back portions.

The property was sold in 1970 — a year later Fairchild died.

A new façade was designed and constructed in 1981, along with more renovations.

Composer Hoagy Carmichael often visited Fairchild at the home, and played on one of two white Steinway pianos that were wired to Fairchild’s recording studio. Several jazz albums from the day credit Fairchild Studios as a recording partner, says listing broker Régis Roumila, of Christie’s International Real Estate.

Totaling 9,440 square feet, the five-bedroom residence comes with an open floor plan, including a glassed-in courtyard and a three-story great room.

The front of the townhouse is the public space, with lots of entertaining areas, including a formal dining room.

The rear houses private living space, including a master suite with two baths and a balcony that looks over 65th Street. Other features include an office and a wine cellar.