DOB denies Abramovich’s UES mega mansion plans

It appears the city isn’t too fond of Russian billionaire and Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich’s well-publicized plans for an Upper East Side mega mansion.

The Department of Building denied the oligarch’s permit application to combine three townhouses at 11-15 East 75th Street into a single, palatial home. Abramovich acquired the three properties in separate transactions valued at a combined $78 million, starting in October 2014.

The ambitious $6 million plan for the townhomes was always likely to face obstacles, as the buildings are located in the heart of the Upper East Side Historic District – meaning such extensive renovation work would require the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The DOB filing, submitted in early November, call for a sprawling five-story, 18,000-square-foot home on the 55-foot-wide lot, according to the New York Post. There would also be a pool in the property’s cellar level.

But Stephen Wang, the architect of record on the permit application, told the Post that the city agency’s disapproval is merely a hitch and part of the permitting process – noting that the DOB provides “an objection list [to the plans] and we actively work to address each of the questions.”

Abramovich, who made his fortune in his country’s commodities sector, acquired 11 East 75th Street for $29.7 million in October 2014 from real estate investor and Stellar Management head Larry Gluck. He followed that by purchasing 15 East 75th Street for $18.3 million in December 2014 and closed on 13 East 75th Street for $30 million last July.

The billionaire turned his attention to the mega mansion after his $75 million bid for the Berwind Mansion, a 22-room triplex co-op at 828 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, fell through. [NYP] — Rey Mashayekhi