On the Upper West Side, a Timeless Townhouse with a Serious Rooftop

Just around the corner from Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History, and the great shopping and dining along Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, this beautifully renovated Upper West Side townhome offers six levels of easy-living luxury and style.

The outdoor spaces that bookend the classic five-story townhome are pretty great, too. Out back, there’s a bright and tidy and fully bricked (in a herringbone pattern) south-facing garden—who says you can’t grow tomatoes in Manhattan? Up top, you’ll find a handsomely outfitted rooftop deck with multiple seating and dining areas, cedar fencing and new roof tiles along with water, electricity, and a sound system. It’s just the spot for evening cocktails with neighborhood friends under a giant umbrella.

Designed by the architect Edward J. Webb and built in 1887, the townhouse at 132 West 81st Street has just emerged from a total renovation and redesign by by Alison Downey of Downey Interiors. The 7,000-square-foot home offers five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and four powder rooms.

Along with the great outdoor spaces, amenities include an elevator, a home gym, an office, central air and heat, dual bars and laundry spaces, and water filtration, intercom, and security systems. Savant smart-home technology controls the built-in speakers, the automated lighting, and the door entry.

Architectural details include a gorgeous circular staircase, pocket doors, oak flooring throughout, wall sconces, crown moldings, stained glass windows, and a backyard fountain.

It’s hard not to love the expansive and oh-so-cozy staircase landings on some of the floors, and it’s so easy to see yourself tucked up there on a rainy afternoon with a pot of tea and a great book.

Let’s take a floor-by-floor walk-through to get a sense of how the spaces work. From the street, you’re immediately greeted by an elegant reception gallery with radiant-heat stone floors in a stylish black and white pattern. This opens to the new and fully custom eat-in kitchen, which features an oval-shaped island with a breakfast bar, a huge walk-in pantry, hand-crafted wood cabinetry with down-facing task lighting, soapstone countertops, and tile backsplash, and top-shelf appliances that include a Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, a Viking six-burner range, and two ovens.

Before we head up to the grand parlor level, let’s take a quick peek at the basement, which features the gym, tons of storage, a powder room, and a custom laundry room with built-in cabinetry.

The open-plan parlor floor is an entertainer’s delight, with a big but cozy living room that features a gas fireplace, a wet bar, and nearly 11-foot ceilings. The south-facing dining room has French doors that open to a balcony and a stairway down to the backyard garden. Imagine the great indoor-outdoor party flow between these first two floors.

The third level holds two large bedrooms, one of which is now set up as an office, and there are two more en-suite bedrooms on the floor above, both with marble and tile bathrooms.

And up we go to the primary suite sanctuary on the fifth floor. It offers a huge bedroom, a custom dressing room and a big new bathroom with a separate shower and tub, and a dual sink vanity. There is also a wet bar up here with a full ice maker and an under-counter refrigerator.

What’s extra cool about this part of the Upper West Side is that most of the surrounding blocks are low in scale, so your rooftop deck is open and private. And the whole house gets bright all-day light.

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