The late gallerist Barbara Gladstone’s exquisite eye for art extended to real estate and now her historic Chelsea townhouse has been snapped up and sold — for $1 million above its asking price in a fierce bidding war, Gimme Shelter can reveal exclusively.
The 19th-century brick Greek Revival rowhouse, at 344 W. 22nd St., was asking $11.99 million. It found a buyer after three days, had a signed a contract in 12 days and closed for $13.1 million on Wednesday. It was an all-cash deal, sources said.
The listing brokers were Scott Hustis and Mark Jovanovic of Compass, who told Gimme the price is a record per square foot for a Chelsea townhouse resale — and that the buyer declined to be named.
Gladstone, who represented era-defining artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Keith Haring and Jenny Holzer, had one of the city’s largest and most influential contemporary art galleries — with three branches in New York and outposts in Los Angeles, Brussels and Seoul. She was looking to open another gallery branch in Paris before her death last year at age 89, according to reports.
After buying the townhouse for $6.3 million in 2011, Gladstone enlisted her friend, the respected architect Annabelle Selldorf, to design the four-story property, and another friend, Piet Oudolf, to design the garden.
The home also comes with 1,180 square feet of outdoor space from the landscaped rear garden to a balcony on each of the top three levels, which were added by Selldorf — who also designed two of her three New York galleries.
Built in 1841, the 21-foot-wide, four-story brick rowhouse — in the Chelsea Historic District, between Eighth and Ninth avenues — is 4,395 square feet and features five bedrooms, three baths and two powder rooms. Outside, it boasts a restored stoop, blue stone pavers and snow melting capabilities.
Inside, the home is thoroughly modern. It is anchored by a sculptural and curved skylit staircase that adds shape to the boxy townhouse. Design details include “gallery-like” Venetian plaster walls, white oak floors and new balconies on each floor, added by Selldorf, to create a “stronger connection” between the interiors and the garden, the listing notes.
The home showcased art from Gladstone’s private collection, including 12 pieces auctioned in May by Sotheby’s for a reported $18.5 million from artists such as Richard Prince, Andy Warhol, Rudolf Stingel and Thomas Schütte.
Additional art and furnishing sales, and/or auctions, are expected to follow, according to reports.
The townhouse sale came during a particularly slow period in Chelsea, Hustis said. But the townhouse had 18 buyers come to see it the first day, then six offers with three above ask — all from New York City homeowners.
“There was so much buzz. We hadn’t seen anything like this since the West Village in 2021,” Hustis said.
“It was a very special home in amazing condition. The biggest draw was the parlor level, which was more like a loft — and the Selldorf staircase is epic, with the room framed in art so perfectly,” Hustis added.
The home also features a mudroom with a secondary outside entrance, plus a formal dining area that connects to a sitting room with a woodburning fireplace and a balcony. There’s also a large eat-in chef’s kitchen with a butler’s pantry, and French doors that open to the garden.
The main bedroom suite takes up the third floor and comes with another woodburning fireplace, a dressing room, a spa-like bath with radiant-heated floors, a home office, a wet bar and a balcony. The top floor boasts another bedroom suite and a gym.
Gladstone also owned a Gilded Age, turn-of-the-19th-century North Fork mansion, with 140 feet of sandy beach on Great Peconic Bay, that is currently on the market for $12 million. The listing brokers are Bridget and Eric Elkin, of Compass; a guest house Gladstone owned nearby sold for $1.94 million — well over its $1.8 million ask.