UES Antique Shop That Furnished White House Could Be Yours, For $13M

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A 135-year-old Upper East Side townhouse is up for sale, and its buyer will get an unusual amenity along with the building: a famed antique store that helped furnish the White House.

The stately brick building at 36 E. 73rd St., between Park and Madison avenues, was built in 1887 by the architect Charles Buek, known for developing the ornate Astor Row in Harlem.

Since 1981, it has been home to L'Antiquaire and the Connoisseur, a high-end antique store specializing in European art from the 15th through 18th centuries. Its founder, Ruth T. Costantino, became one of the first female fine arts dealers in the U.S. when she founded the business in 1935.

Since Costantino's 1982 death, L'Antiquaire has been run by her daughter, Helen Costantino Fioratti. Now, in her 80s, Fioratti "decided it was the right time to put the building on the market," according to an announcement from New York Residence Inc., which is handling the sale.

The townhouse is now listed for sale for $12.8 million. Its eventual buyer will have the option to maintain the entire antique store — which occupies four of the building's floors, with a fifth-floor residence at the top — or have the building delivered vacant.

L'Antiquaire and the Connoisseur has an illustrious history, with items formerly sold by the store now in the possession of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery in Washington, and other institutions.

According to brokers, the shop's expert owners were also retained during the Kennedy administration to sell furnishings to the White House, and many of the items remain there to this day.

The building includes high ceilings, fireplaces, private-keyed elevator landings and a backyard garden. It is within the Upper East Side Historic District, and its zoning requires another retailer to occupy the ground floor if the antique shop closes.

City records show the building has been owned since 1983 by L'Antiquaire and the Connoisseur.

"It is a unique opportunity to acquire an entire building at a stellar location, steeped in history and with significant upside," broker Richard Pino said in a statement.

The contact for the listing is Thomas Guss of New York Residence Inc., tg@NYR.com, or 212-360-7000, ext. 103.