19 East 64th Street facts for kids

The Wildenstein & Company Building is a famous building located at 19 East 64th Street in New York City. It's in a fancy part of Manhattan called the Upper East Side, close to Madison Avenue. This building has five floors and was finished in early 1932.

A talented architect named Horace Trumbauer designed the building. He gave it a beautiful style that looks like French buildings from the 1700s. The outside walls are made of a strong, light-colored stone called limestone.

History of the Wildenstein Building

Before moving into this special building, the Wildenstein art company was in another famous place. They were located in a former Vanderbilt family home on Fifth Avenue for several years.

Wildenstein and Pace Gallery Partnership

In 1993, the Wildenstein & Company art gallery made a big move. They bought almost half (49%) of another well-known art gallery called the Pace Gallery. This partnership brought together two different art worlds. Wildenstein was famous for very old paintings, called Old Masters, and art from the Impressionist period. Pace Gallery was known for showing newer art, like contemporary art and modern art.

The Wildenstein gallery stayed in its building at 19 East 64th Street. Pace Gallery also kept its location in SoHo. However, in 2010, the two galleries decided to separate. Pace Gallery then bought back the 49% share from Wildenstein.

Who Lived in the Wildenstein Building?

For a while, many members of the Wildenstein family lived in the building. In 1997, up to 11 family members were living there at the same time! An art dealer jokingly called it the "most expensive tenement in Manhattan" because so many people were sharing such a grand place.

Selling the Wildenstein Building

The building has been sold a few times in recent years. In 2014, the Government of Qatar planned to buy the building for $90 million. They wanted to use it as a consulate, which is like an office for their country in New York.

However, a businessman named Len Blavatnik also wanted to buy the building. He sued the Wildenstein family, saying they had promised to sell it to him for $79 million. In 2017, a judge decided that the verbal agreement was not legally binding, so the lawsuit was rejected.

In April 2017, the building was sold for $79.5 million. This made it the most expensive townhouse ever sold in Manhattan at that time! It was sold again in February 2018 for an even higher price: $90 million.

As of April 2019, the building is now home to the Skarstedt Gallery, another art gallery.

Images for kids

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  19 East 64th Street