This five-story Upper East Side townhouse, where the late controversial director Elia Kazan reportedly lived, is currently on the market for $6.49 million — less than two months after the property was listed for $9 million dollars, according to property records.
(At the time, there was a $4.8 million mortgage.)
The turn-of-the-century brownstone, located at 212 E. 72nd St., between Second and Third avenues, has five bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms.
Kazan – an immigrant born to Greek parents in Constantinople, now Istanbul, and grandfather of actress Zoe Kazan – is said to have lived in the townhouse from around 1955 until the early 1960s. Representing the best and America’s worst man, he once infamously “named names” to the House Un-American Activities Committee, destroying lives with his testimony, then took out a full-page ad in the New York Times to encourage others to follow his example. .
In “Naming Names,” the late author/journalist Victor Navasky describes the time when playwright Arthur Miller allegedly sent Kazan a copy of his play “A View from the Bridge,” which is about news. Kazan responded to his thanks, saying he would be honored to direct it. Miller retorted: “You don’t understand. I didn’t send it to you because I wanted you to make it. I sent it to you because I wanted you to know what I think about saddle pigeons.
Kazan went on to create iconic films like “At the Water’s Edge” and “East of Eden.” Of course, others in Hollywood refused to name names and some even managed to win Oscars while blacklisted, working under pseudonyms and maintaining their integrity.
At 5,242 square feet, the home includes five fireplaces and five private outdoor spaces totaling 1,700 square feet, including a garden, two covered terraces and a roof terrace. There is also a coveted “curb cut” for private parking. The exterior features a stucco facade and three windows.
The 17-foot-wide townhouse sits outside the historic district and has a maximum buildable area of 18,220 square feet. It currently includes a full-height cellar with laundry room, storage and mechanical systems.
The listing brokers are Matthew Lesser, Ravi Kantha, Jed Garfield and Caylyn Sullivan of Leslie J. Garfield.
New York Post
