Jones Lang LaSalle and The Corcoran Group have been tapped byLehm Holdings Inc. to sell or lease 7 West 54th Street, also known as the Philip Lehman Mansion.
The six-story, 20,000 s/f commercial townhouse recently underwent a $20 million renovation to restore it to its original grandeur. The mansion was designated as a New York landmark in 1981.
JLL’s Aaron Ellison, senior vice president, and Corcoran’s Carrie Chiang, senior vice president, will represent Lehm Holdings Inc.
“The Philip Lehman Mansion is one of only a handful of turn-of-the century residences remaining on West 54th Street,” said Ellison. “This historic property is an ideal location for a discerning company seeking a rare opportunity to boost its image by relocating to a grand New York mansion. The landmarked building would also be the perfect site for a family office, private club, diplomatic office/residence or headquarters space.”
The Philip Lehman Mansion, designed in the French Beaux-Arts style by architect John H. Duncan, was constructed in 1889 for Philip Lehman, the son of Lehman Brothers co-founder Emanuel Lehman, and his wife Carrie Lauer. The six-story limestone mansion features copper-framed ocular windows, a bowed-stone balcony, and French doors with elaborate carved festoons and cartouches.
In the late 1950s, the Philip Lehman Mansion became the residence of Robert Lehman, Philip’s son. The townhouse served as his private art gallery, exhibiting works by Rembrandt, Goya, Durer, Renoir, Ingres and El Greco. Upon his death in 1969, Robert Lehman bequeathed the artwork to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with the caveat that the collection must always remain intact. He had hoped the mansion would be dismantled and reconstructed as a wing of the museum. Rather than move the entire building, The Met dismantled several rooms, installing them as part of the Robert Lehman Wing, which opened in 1975.
In 2006, with the cooperation of the museum, the landmarked townhouse underwent a meticulous, $20 million restoration by skilled artisans and designers, with many features of the original building returned to the mansion. The work included the addition of a modern, glass penthouse with a retractable roof, an elevator and state-of-the-art mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems. The building currently serves as the headquarters for a prestigious hedge fund.
