Jean Kennedy Smith's grand duplex in Manhattan overlooking the East River, which housed her large, celebrity family, political, art, and showbiz figures, is being sold from her property. It is priced at $ 6.45 million with a monthly maintenance of $ 19,975.
Ms. Smith, who was President John F. Kennedy's last surviving sibling and the second youngest of the Kennedy clan, died last June at the age of 92. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s and was credited with helping end decades of violence in Northern Ireland. In 2011 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Her apartment is a combination of two units on the sixth and seventh floors of 4 Sutton Place, a 14-story cooperative housed in a leafy enclave of 19th-century townhouses. The nine-unit brick and limestone building between East 57th Street and 58th Street was designed by architect Rosario Candela and constructed in 1928.
Recognition…AP Photo / Maxwells
Ms. Smith bought the maisonette in 1997 and moved in a year later after completing her diplomatic service, according to Amanda Smith Hood, one of her four children and owner of a small equestrian business in Washington. She acquired an adjoining two bedroom residence on the seventh floor in 2001 and used it primarily for guest accommodation.
"She had many Irish friends who came to visit," said Ms. Hood, including Seamus Heaney, the poet and playwright, and Bill Whelan, the composer. Her other close friends included actress Lauren Bacall and Broadway veterans Phyllis Newman and Adolph Green. "She tended to be interested in artists," said her daughter.
Ms. Hood remembered how her mother particularly enjoyed holding meetings in the apartment. During the vacation, she said, “She would have two overlapping parties: a smaller children's party with wizards and Santa Claus, where she invited friends' children and grandchildren and the doorman's children, and the adult party an hour later. It was a great place for entertainment. "
The house is approximately 5,680 square feet and contains four bedrooms and four and a half baths in the main duplex area and two bedrooms and two baths with a kitchen and living room in the connecting apartment.
The pre-war layout is largely retained, with mostly cosmetic changes being made over the years and renovations to the main kitchen and bathrooms. Many of the original architectural flourishes have also been retained, such as the hardwood floors, nearly 11-foot ceilings, and moldings.
The formal entrance is in a private elevator vestibule on the lower level that leads to a spacious central foyer with a curved windowed staircase. The foyer leads to a huge living room, a cozy library / study and the dining room.
"This is a signature of Candela – he is known for his grand staircases and his palatial, grand living room," said Paul Kolbusz, a Corcoran Group broker, who lists the property together with his colleagues Markus Buchmeier and Melissa Sargeantson.
The 20 by 28 foot corner living room is anchored by a wood-burning fireplace with an ornate granite and marble fireplace from Ireland. The room features an imposing crystal chandelier and three Juliet balconies with great views of the river and Sutton Place.
The nearby library / study, painted dark red, has built-in bookshelves and a fireplace with a carved wooden mantle, also from Ireland. "In the red room we had drinks and cocktails before dinner and then went back later to talk or watch a movie," said Ms. Hood.
The formal dining room next door is also lined with shelves and has three more Juliet balconies. It leads to a large eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and wood countertops. Two large windows look out over Queensboro Bridge and the wooden floor has a painted art carpet.
Behind the kitchen is a guest bedroom with en-suite bathroom, as well as a staff bedroom and bathroom. There is also a powder room and laundry room.
The other bedrooms are on the upper level. The primary suite has another wood-burning fireplace as well as two balconies, a large walk-in closet and a bathroom. It also shares another bathroom with an adjacent guest room.
The guest apartment is accessed via a gallery in the anteroom of the elevator on the seventh floor.
"What is the most impressive feature of this maisonette is the large proportions of all the rooms," said Kolbusz, the Corcoran realtor. "It's elegant and chic. The apartment really defines Candela's architecture."
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