Iris Cantor, the philanthropist and widow of Cantor Fitzgerald founder Bernie Cantor, is looking to make good on an Upper East Side townhouse she purchased for just over $18 million in the throes of the recession.
Cantor listed the 20-foot limestone mansion at 11 East 74th Street for $48.5 million — 169 percent more than she paid in 2009.
Originally built in 1869, the six-story house is located between Fifth and Madison avenues. According to the listing, Cantor gut renovated the property from top to bottom: it now features six master suites, two formal salons for entertaining, multiple kitchens and a garden. On the top floor, there is a home theater, skylight gym and bar area that leads to a terrace with Central Park views. At 10,800 square feet, the asking price works out to $4,491 per foot.
The listing broker is Larry Kaiser, who joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties last year and who’s worked with Cantor in the past.
When Cantor nabbed the house in 2008, it had already been on the market for three years, with an original asking price of $35 million. The seller was preparing to offer it at auction, before Cantor stepped in.
Two years after buying the Manhattan house, Cantor sold her 35,000-square-foot Bel-Air mansion for $40 million. It had been on the market for $53 million since 2009.