A famed Upper East Side townhouse says “Hello Again.”
Two apartments below Neil Diamond’s penthouse in the H. Bramhall Gilbert mansion at 17 E. 63rd St. hit the market this week — with some serious charm, as well as history, in tow.
The listings, first reported by Curbed, include No. 2 — a two-bed, 2½-bath on the parlor floor for $4.25 million — and No. 3/4, a three-bed, 3½-bath duplex priced at a higher $16.99 million.
Agents for both units told The Post they have quite a bit of attention already, including from families and some looking to combine the two into a triplex residence.
The 30-foot-wide Beaux-Arts beauty was built in 1901 by developers William W. and Thomas M. Hall, together with architecture firm Welch, Smith, & Provost. The brothers were known for constructing particularly extravagant Upper East Side mansions.
It’s changed hands through a who’s who of Manhattan elite in the century since, starting with H. Bramhall Gilbert himself and his wife, the former Lila Brokaw — whose affluent family rubbed elbows with the likes of the Vanderbilts and the Guggenheims.
Lila’s arguably more famous brother, William Brokaw, was thought to be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for Jay Gatsby. He spent his time womanizing and hosting high-society social events — even a thoroughbred horse race — at his “Nirvana” estate in Great Neck, Long Island.
The Gilberts sold the home in 1906, after just two years, to Trenor L. Park, a businessman and popular member of the Metropolitan and New York yacht clubs, and his wife, the former Julia Hunt Catlin. A series of misfortunes, however — including their 9-year-old daughter falling to her death through a skylight while playing on the roof — led the couple to sell it quickly, too.
The next owners converted the building into a top-floor apartment with offices below it, where baseball legend Jackie Robinson held his 1951 press conference to announce his plans to build affordable housing in Brooklyn.
After converting back into apartments in the 1980s, No. 2 was most recently owned by Shirley Maytag King, whose late husband’s grandfather founded the Maytag appliance company. King resided there for 35 years until her death last year.
Though smaller than the duplex offering above it, Corcoran broker Paul Kolbusz, who reps the listing with Melissa Sargeantson, also a broker with Corcoran, said it has plenty of old-world charm.
Among the original features is a 15-foot ceiling in the drawing room with picture-frame moldings and hand-painted plasterwork.
“The details and how it was preserved are incredible,” Kolbusz said. “You literally feel like you’re in a petite Versailles.”
Though the kitchen could admittedly use an update, he noted it can easily be expanded as few of the apartment’s walls are load-bearing.
No. 3/4, meanwhile, boasts amenities including a hot tub conveniently located in the library and a 580-square-foot primary bedroom.
“It just speaks to the lifestyle of the residents of the building,” said Elana Schoppmann of Douglas Elliman, one of the representatives marketing that higher-priced listing. “It’s a fun life.”
It has five original woodburning fireplaces, one of which is in a dressing room next to the primary en-suite bath, and a spiral staircase with a gold-plated ceiling.
“The grand scale and proportion of the home feels very royal and lavish,” said Schoppmann.
Outside, the elaborate limestone facade is carved with garlands of fruit and flowers. It sports a cartouche-style keystone over the entryway and three Juliet balconies outside unit 3/4, as well as a stone cornice along the roof.