The architectural tour de force located steps from Central Park is listed by Régis Roumila who recently joined Christie’s International Real Estate

Christie’s International Real Estate’s New York City brokerage, the only real estate brokerage fully integrated with a global art auction house, is proud to represent for sale the Sherman M. Fairchild Mansion at 17 East 65th Street for US$35 million. Régis Roumila, who joined Christie’s International Real Estate in August from Corcoran Group, has the listing.

Sherman M. Fairchild, a prolific inventor for whom the home is named, commissioned architects George Nelson, a member of the Architecture Committee of the Museum of Modern Art, and William Hamby in 1941 to break the mold of architectural convention to create a home as innovative as he was. They succeeded with a 9,440-square-foot, 25-foot-wide manse that is still an architectural tour de force unlike any other in New York. The non-traditional and open floor plan they conceived split the 100-foot-long lot into two halves, creating a vast internal glassed courtyard in the front, which proved to be a remarkable architectural feat at the time. The private living quarters were beautifully executed and discretely located in the back half.

“This one-of-a-kind townhouse in Lenox Hill offers a rare opportunity for the art enthusiast, in a desirable location, just half a block from both Central Park and Madison Avenue,” said Mr. Roumila. “The central light-infused atrium offers the perfect setting for entertaining and displaying major art collections."

Defined by a four-story great room with an unprecedented span of walls and infused with natural light from a ceiling comprised entirely of glass framed in steel, the townhouse is perfect for displaying large-scale fine art. Floating staircases access public entertaining spaces, including a viewing gallery, a chef’s kitchen and a formal dining room. A second rear staircase accesses the home’s private living quarters, such as the pampering master suite with two baths and a sitting alcove, an office, a library, a wine cellar, a vault and four additional bedrooms, including a loft aerie infused with the same ceiling light that graces the home’s great room. The building’s contemporary red granite façade was completed in 1981 by postmodern architect Milton Klein, and hint at what contemporary wonders await inside.

Fairchild was the only son and heir of George Winthrop Fairchild, the longtime chairman of IBM. The younger Fairchild oversaw the aeronautics juggernaut, Fairchild Aeronautics, in the WWI era, and held some 30 patents in fields such as camera and audio technology. He was a life-long bachelor and jazz enthusiast, who enjoyed entertaining in his showcase home. Famed composer Hoagy Carmichael was a frequent guest and played on one of the two white Steinway pianos Fairchild had wired to his recording studio. Several jazz albums from the day credited Fairchild Studios as a recording partner.