Aby Rosen sells UES townhouse for $18M

RFR co-founder bought 16 East 78th Street for $8.4M in 2004

Aby Rosen and 16 East 78th Street
Aby Rosen and 16 East 78th Street

A month after closing on a condominium in Soho for $7.6 million, Aby Rosen has sold an Upper East Side townhouse for $18.4 million, according to Department of Finance records that hit Thursday.

The buyer of the four-bedroom, 6,300-square-foot townhouse is listed as 16 East 78th Street Corp., which is controlled by attorney Mario Gazzola. Gozzola could not immediately be reached for comment.

Rosen purchased the property at 16 East 78th Street for $8.4 million in 2004. He listed it with Douglas Elliman’s Richard Steinberg for $19.95 million last year and it went into contract in February.

The townhouse features a gym, a garden terrace, and an elevator, according to the listing.

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It’s Rosen’s second big personal transaction in recent months. In April, the RFR Realty head spent $7.6 million on a condo unit at Atlas Capital Group’s 42 Crosby Street. He received a 9.5 percent discount on the original $8.4 million asking price.

Rosen’s longtime rental home at 5 East 80th Street was to be auctioned last year after property owner the Republic of Niger was hit with a $46 million fine. But the auction was called off and it appears the African nation still owns the home (it’s not clear if Rosen still lives there).

The German-born developer is trying to convince buyers that office-heavy Midtown is the next destination for luxury living with his $868 million project  100 East 53rd Street.