A clever 35-foot-deep extension to the townhouse at 526 East 5^th Street has opened up the home to a full four exposures.

Boxed in on two sides, most Manhattan townhouses have a tendency to go dark in the interior center of the building. Not so with this light and bright single-family townhouse, nestled in the heart of the vibrant East Village.

Originally constructed in 1900, the 20-foot-wide home at 526 East 5th has been meticulously and gorgeously restored by renowned architect Annabelle Selldorf, whose work on the expansion of the just-reopened Frick Collection has won wide acclaim. The home is quite expansive — 5,200 square feet of interior space, with seven bedrooms, four full bathrooms, and two powder rooms — yet still warm and intimate.

The Covid pandemic taught us all the vital need for our own outdoor spaces, and this home boasts a full suite — a bluestone patio and backyard garden with tall wood fencing for privacy, two balconies, and a dreamy roof deck with panoramic city views, multiple seating and dining areas, and handsome landscaping. Further, the home is a quick two blocks from the green spaces in Tompkins Square Park.

Inside the home, design details include exposed wood beams, custom millwork by the artisans behind SoHo House projects, reclaimed wide-plank floors, high ceilings, central air, soundproof windows, and a large lower level for storage or recreation.

Currently configured as a home office with its own entrance, the ground-floor garden level with the back patio and garden offers marvelous flexibility — it could easily be used as a private guest apartment or simply a great hangout.

Up one floor to the parlor level, an entrance hall with a built-out coat closet opens to high-volume living and dining space. It features a cozy fireplace with a marble mantel and crystal chandeliers from Kammer. The windowed kitchen boasts a full suite of top-shelf Gaggenau appliances — a stovetop, a grill and teppanyaki, standard and convection ovens, and a dedicated ice maker — along with Liebherr refrigerators, a reverse osmosis water filtration system, and outdoor stairs down to the garden. Crowning touches of timeless elegance include a nearly century-old chandelier from the historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel and acres of Carrera marble atop the counters, center island, and bar area.

The third floor holds three bright and airy bedrooms arranged around a central skylight. The middle bedroom, as well as the north-facing one that overlooks the charming streetscape of East 5th, share a marble bathroom with Duravit fixtures, a soaking tub, and a laundry room. The southernmost bedroom boasts three exposures, a Juliet balcony, and a private ensuite.

The luxurious primary suite, which features a wood-burning fireplace and quiet double-pane windows, takes up the entire top floor. Vintage sconces — also from the Waldorf — and an elegant and fun 1970s chandelier by Jerre jazz up this sanctuary, and the adjacent bath offers a vintage clawfoot tub and dual vanities and showers. Adjacent to all this is a sunlit private den with exposed beams and a Juliet balcony and a black marble powder room. A spiral staircase takes you up to that awesome roof deck with treetop and downtown Manhattan views.

One of the East Village’s best-kept secrets is how easy it is to get in and out of the neighborhood — by car, on foot, by bike, or via transit. Nearby subway lines include the L, the 6, and the F, with the 14^th Street bus not far away. For drivers, the FDR Drive is right there, and if you’re heading to Brooklyn or out east, the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges are all within shouting distance.