It may not have a view — but it could be a lot of laughs.
New York City’s landmarked Friars Club townhouse, a former haven for comedians and A-listers in the middle of Midtown, will be auctioned off at the end of the month — and could be yours for peanuts.
The hammer will fall on Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. outside the 500 Pearl St. courthouse. But the property needs a whole lotta love.
The five-story English Renaissance-style property at 57 E. 55th St. is on the block after a series of fiscal stumbles and floods — but still has plenty of furniture, liquor bottles, plus celebrity photos and memorabilia inside.
With a 14,541-square-foot interior that’s 33 feet wide between Park and Madison avenues, there’s enough elbow room to create the destination haven of your choice. While the exterior was landmarked in 2016, the interior is not.
Greg Corbin of Northgate Real Estate Group, who is marketing the property for the lender, has suggested uses from consulates and cigar clubs to private clubs and restaurants.
“Its prestigious location and grand architecture also make it ideal for diplomatic use as a consulate or embassy, or even a blend of multiple luxury purposes,” Corbin told The Post.
The lender, Kairos Credit Strategies, gave the Friars a $13 million mortgage in 2021, but added interest now puts the tab $18.4 million. It’s unclear if the lender will take less, or if bids will go higher.
Several comedians have already walked through the hallowed halls — but so have investors, restaurateurs and reps from various countries. Sources tell The Post Jerry Seinfeld is hoping to pool funds and save the hallowed laughing halls, but that could not be independently confirmed.
On a tour on Monday, it was clear the building is old and cranky, but it has good bones.
The dark interior halls are covered with wood panels that extend into some rooms. There are coffered and barreled ceilings, stained glass windows and skylights, marble fireplaces, decorative carvings and chandeliers — some of which have a medallion with the club’s trademark friar face.
The walls of the Billy Crystal Room bar on the first floor feature murals of famous actors and comedians dressed as monks including Jackie Gleason and Sammy Davis Jr. A dining room is named after Frank Sinatra, while other rooms honor Barbra Streisand and Ed Sullivan — whose giant brass sculptured head will belong to the winning bidder after the sale.
A billiards room is ready for a game with the ghosts of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, while a modern fitness center is a bright spot. Locker rooms for men and women have small wooden lockers. (Women were honorary members until 1988, when eight were granted official membership including Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers and Brooke Shields.)
Other famous members and roast targets have included Robin Williams, Don King, Lucille Ball and, yes, Jerry Seinfeld.
The Friars Club, founded in 1904, was started by press agents and soon began hosting tribute dinners to celebrities. With funds generated by the song “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” the members built a new clubhouse at 107 W. 48th St. but lost it during the 1930s Depression for not paying their butter and milk bills.
Reviving the club after the war, in 1950 the Friars began its beloved annual tradition of risqué celebrity roasts and bought this townhouse in 1957. The roasts were so popular, they were broadcast on NBC radio and later televised with Comedy Central taking over in 1998. (When his NBC reality show, “The Apprentice,” was the talk of the town in 2004, president-elect Donald Trump was roasted by his good friend, toastmaster Regis Philbin.)
The property’s 25,000 square feet of air rights were sold in 1982 to develop the adjacent office building, enabling the funny folks to pay off a $100,000 mortgage.
Still, finances went askew as complaints were made about iffy reimbursements to members and staff, while glamorous fundraising events for charity cost more than they took in.
According to the New York Times, the group even hired a man convicted for defrauding charities as a fundraising consultant to help woo celebrities.
By 2018, city records show the Friars Club was piling on millions in mortgages each year while its annual dues for roughly 1,000 members were just $5,165 per year.
Its director pled guilty to tax fraud in 2019, and the pandemic sealed the group’s fate when a Charlie Palmer restaurant was to open. Instead, the club closed and could not cover its mortgage.
A prospective buyer who would have kept the club going last year never materialized, but members are still hoping for a miracle.