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New York

Irish society’s Fifth Avenue mansion pulled off market in NYAG plan

991 Fifth Avenue and Attorney General Letitia James (Google Maps, Getty)
991 Fifth Avenue and Attorney General Letitia James (Google Maps, Getty)

Irish eyes are smiling on Fifth Avenue once again.

The Gilded Age mansion at 991 Fifth Avenue that has housed the American Irish Historical Society for more than 80 years has been pulled off the market, the New York Times reported. The scuttled listing is part of a plan from the New York Attorney General’s office to preserve the nonprofit and save the townhouse.

The AG’s Charities Bureau secured the resignation of the nonprofit’s former board, which was controlled by the late Kevin Cahill, who died in September. An interim board will try to revitalize the property and pick a permanent board during a six-month transition.

In early 2021, the five-story, 25-foot-wide mansion hit the market for $52 million. It has been owned by the AIHS since 1936. A renovation of the home launched 15 years earlier to preserve one of the last Gilded Age homes still in existence on the Upper East Side.

Featuring wooden floors, interior columns and a terrace overlooking Central Park, the home was originally owned by the daughter of Gov. John King and was later owned by Carnegie Steel president William Ellis Crey.

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The listing sparked outrage in the Irish American community, which hailed the property as an important symbol of the community and the significance of Irish immigrants’ history. Within two months, nearly 30,000 people signed a petition urging the AG to intervene.

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Opponents included the Irish government, which pledged up to $300,000 for utilities and services in the next six months. Under the AG’s plan, the society’s collection, featuring documents of Irish Americans’ role in Ireland’s fight with England for independence, will be catalogued.

The former board was seeking to sell the property to cover debts. The nonprofit planned to move to Cooperstown, perhaps inspired by P.J. Conlon, who became the first Irish-born Major League Baseball player in 73 years when he debuted in 2018.

The attorney general’s office became involved because it reviews sales of properties owned by charities.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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Fifth AvenueLetitia JamesTownhouse MarketUpper East Side