Stunning Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion will be gutted and turned into private club for NYC elites
Permits recently filed with the Department of Buildings outline a $19 million renovation at 854 Fifth Avenue that would strip out and reconfigure more than half of the property's footprint — which includes adding a rooftop extension and enclosing the courtyard for expanded dining space, according to Crains.
The exterior, protected under the city's landmark designation, is expected to remain intact.
The mansion is roughly 16,000 square feet. Plans include reimagining the lower floors as dining rooms, lounges, and a bar for club members — while the top two levels will hold three private apartments totaling around 6,000 square feet.
Once permits are approved, construction will soon begin.
8 Plans are moving forward to convert the landmarked Gilded Age mansion at 854 Fifth Avenue into a members-only private club.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
8 The $19 million renovation will include gutting the interior.
Gamut Photos Inc.
The Beaux Arts townhouse – designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects behind Grand Central Terminal and the New York Yacht Club — has been vacant since 2018. It previously served as the Permanent Mission of the former Yugoslavia to the United Nations.
In 2022, the 30-foot-wide mansion that sits between 66th and 67th streets changed hands for $50 million in an all-cash deal.
Records link the purchase to Qatari investor Abdulhadi Al-Hajri, who has made high-profile acquisitions, including London's Ritz Hotel.
8 Vacant since 2018, the property was formerly the Permanent Mission of Yugoslavia to the UN and was sold in 2022 for $50 million in an all-cash deal to an entity connected to Qatari businessman Abdulhadi Al-Hajri.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
8 Approved renovation plans call for transforming the first through fourth floors into about 11,000 square feet of club, bar, lounge, and dining space; creating three residential units on the top floors; adding a rooftop addition; enclosing the courtyard for more dining; and installing an ADA-accessible lift.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
8 Membership will be limited, with small-scale live music and events.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
Developer Howard Corney, connected to UK-based Thornham Residential Holdings, is overseeing the work. Peter Pennoyer Architect is the architect of record.
The Post has reached out for comment.
8 The mansion was built in 1903 by Warren and Wetmore – architects of the New York Yacht Club and Grand Central Terminal.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
8 The mansion was one of the first buildings to receive landmark designation in 1969.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
8 Peter Pennoyer Architect is leading the redesign.
Douglas Elliman Realty/Scott Win
Plans also call for an ADA-accessible lift at the entrance and 2,500 square feet of new rooftop construction.
Memberships will be limited, and filings indicate that any live music or events will be kept small to avoid large crowds.
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