Oleg Cassini’s Former Townhouse Inks Top Contract

The former home of a storied designer scored Manhattan’s priciest contract last week.

Oleg Cassini’s former townhouse at 15 East 63rd Street had to wend its way through a three-year, drama-filled bankruptcy process before it was able to secure court approval for a contract to be signed on the home. The property claimed the priciest signed contract in Manhattan’s market last week, according to Olshan Realty.

The home had a last asking price of $39.5 million, down from $65 million when it was first listed in 2024 by Sotheby’s International Realty. The home was originally scheduled to be sold out of foreclosure before Peggy Nestor, Cassini’s sister-in-law, filed for bankruptcy one day before the sale in April 2023 and agreed to either secure new financing or sell the home.

Even getting the home on the market proved a challenge. Nestor took nine months to sign a broker agreement, and tried to prevent the Sotheby’s team from staging or photographing the home before the U.S. Marshals Service had to forcibly remove the sisters from home, according to documents filed in court.

Chapter 11 trustee Albert Togut eventually turned the listing over to Brown Harris Stevens’ Sami Hassoumi, who put it on the market asking $39.5 million last January. One year later, the court approved an offer of $34.5 million.

Built in 1901, the Gilded Age-era property is 25 feet wide, spans 18,000 square feet and has seven bedrooms and more than eight bathrooms. It also features three terraces, 14 fireplaces and a white marble foyer with a curved staircase.

The second priciest contract belonged to an 18th-floor unit at the Flatiron Building asking $18.9 million.

Unit 18N spans over 4,600 square feet and has four bedrooms and four bathrooms. A 63-foot-long great room provides views of Madison Square Park and the Hudson River.

The home comes with a private entry vestibule and features nearly 11-foot ceilings. The primary suite has a windowed walk-in closet and a bathroom with dual vanities, a freestanding soaking tub and a separate shower.

Amenities at the redeveloped property at 175 Fifth Avenue include a gym, lap pool, sauna and cold plunge. The Brodsky Group and Sorgente Group have led the conversion of the historic building, which will hold 38 units.

A Corcoran Sunshine team led by Michele Hinojos and Angeli DeCecchis launched sales off of floor plans in September.

There were 32 contracts signed for Manhattan homes asking at least $4 million for a total contract volume of over $316 million from Feb. 23 to March 1. Homes that went into contract last week had a median asking price of $7.1 million and an average discount of 15 percent.

This February, which saw 123 contracts signed for $1.4 billion, outpaced last year’s contract numbers of 114 contracts signed for $955 million.