Fashionable Historic New York Townhouse Formerly Owned By The Gucci Family and Calvin Klein Lists For $19.5M

Not many homes can list the Gucci family and Calvin Klein as former owners. However, that’s the claim that one fashion-pedigreed New York City townhouse, recently listed for $19.5 million, can make.

“You usually don’t say this about a building, but it has a lot of charisma,” listing agent George Vanderploeg told Homes.com “It’s fun to show.”

Iconic Fashion Moguls Owned During An Iconic Period In New York History

Located on the upscale leafy blocks of Manhattan’s Upper East Side between Fifth and Madison avenues, the home at 16 E. 76th Street was owned by the Gucci family during the swinging 1980s. The Guccis sold it to fellow fashion mogul Klein, who owned it between 1989 and 1994.

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The home retains many original classic period details, such as elaborate moldings, fluted columns, parquet floors, wainscoting, and vintage fireplaces. Despite its famous owners, the home has hardly changed since it was built in 1902 for Moncure Robinson, a prominent 19th-century lawyer and engineer who helped design and plan many railroad lines across Virginia and Pennsylvania. Robinson was a far cry from Klein, who owned the home at the height of his company’s popularity. 

“[Klein] used to have disco parties up there,” Vanderploeg said. “It had a real Studio 54 vibe,” he said, referring to the iconic New York nightclub of the 1970s.

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A Coveted Neighborhood Welcomes Another Fashion Icon

The Upper East Side has remained one of the most coveted New York neighborhoods because of its quiet, wide streets filled with classic brownstones and pre-war co-ops from the 1920s. It’s proximity to many restaurants and museums is also a big draw. Recently, a slew of new condo buildings have taken to the skies. One, in particular, continues the fashion-forward tradition of the neighborhood’s former inhabitants. The Georgio Armani Residences at 760 Madison Avenue, branded by the famous Italian clothes designer, sold out soon after condos became available. 

Georgio Armani in October was at the building’s opening, where he said: “More vital and frenetic than ever, New York continues to look ahead, ever launching new models of life, style and socializing. I am delighted to unveil the new building on Madison Avenue and to celebrate it with an event and a fashion show. Developed with my team of architects, this project expresses a concept of luxury that deeply respects the culture and spirit of the place and is meant to be a lasting tribute to a city that has welcomed me and marked important moments in my career.”

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The Italian Connection

The Armani building has something else in common with 16 E. 76th Street. Both have an Italian connection. Klein eventually sold the building to the Italian government, which has owned it for the last 30 years. According to Vanderploeg, Italian officials routinely used it to house their ambassadors to the United Nations and host diplomatic dinners, among other governmental functions. 

Italian style will remain in the Upper East Side regardless of who the new owner of 16 E. 76th Street is. Armani has said that he plans to live in one of the condos in his building. The style icon already owns a home in New York. In 2019, he purchased publisher William Randolph Hearst’s one-time Central Park West townhouse for $17.5 million.

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