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A landmarked Upper East Side building—once marketed as a former home of Grace Kelly and Harry Belafonte—could soon be converted into a sprawling private residence, according to new filings with the city.
The five-story townhouse at 51-53 East 73rd Street, located between Park and Madison Avenues, was purchased at auction in 2022 for $25 million by a limited liability company known as Chai 73. Now, Eric Goodman, managing partner at Long Island-based private equity firm Goodman Capital, has submitted plans to the city’s Department of Buildings to turn the 12,321-square-foot property—currently carved into 13 apartments and five offices—into a single-family home.
The news was first reported by Crain’s New York Business, which notes that Goodman filed the permits under the Chai 73 LLC name. He has not commented publicly on the proposed transformation.
Built in 1885 and landmarked in 1982, the townhouse has a storied past—some of which has been debunked. In a 2022 investigation, the New York Post reported that rumors of Grace Kelly once living at the address were part of a long-running hoax used to boost the building’s allure during earlier sales efforts. Other false celebrity claims included ties to Harry Belafonte, Nelson Rockefeller, and George Soros.
The building was originally two separate apartment houses constructed in 1889 before being joined into one in the 1940s. For decades, the combined structure served a mix of residential and medical office uses. A 2,200-square-foot three-bedroom apartment was last listed for rent in 2019 for $17,500/month, according to StreetEasy, before being pulled from the market.
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The 2022 auction followed a series of financial woes for the property’s previous owner, Paul Ender, who used the building “like a piggybank,” according to the Post, with mortgage debt ballooning to over $15 million by 2016. His bankruptcy proceedings culminated in the $25 million sale, which included an additional 2,000 square feet of air rights.
While it remains unclear whether any tenants currently occupy the building, Goodman’s plans signal a new chapter for the stately mansion—this time, perhaps with less fiction and more foundation.
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