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DOB denies Abramovich’s UES mega mansion plans
Russian billionaire and Chelsea FC owner wants to combine three townhouses into 18K sf manse
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