Literary Icon George Plimpton’s UES Duplex Listed for $5.3 Million: SEE IT

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A piece of literary history on the Upper East Side is now up for grabs, as the family of George Plimpton has officially listed his dynamic duplex for $5.25 million.

Well-regarded for his ground-breaking participatory journalism and editing The Paris Review, the late Plimpton (who died in 2003) was a man of admirable literary pursuits. The lifelong New Yorker epitomized the “man about town” moniker, and like all social creatures of a bygone era, he adored entertaining — and his home certainly fit the bill.

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The 4,700-square-foot residence at 541 East 72nd Street may be steps away from Manhattan’s hustle and bustle (and the FDR), but its idyllic setting on a cobblestone cul-de-sac with prime East River views makes it feel worlds away. The sprawling home is part of “The Black and Whites,” a series of monochromatic row houses first built in 1894.

Originally designed as working-class tenements, the Black and Whites received a fashionable upgrade courtesy of former Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow and her wealthy real estate investor husband in 1938, who hired architectural firm Sacchetti & Siegal to elevate the enclave. And elevate they did — Manhattan’s elite soon flocked east of York Avenue, and Plimpton decamped to the area in the early 1950s.

The first floor of Plimpton’s pad served as the headquarters of The Paris Review until his death, while the rest remained his beloved abode. Work and play blended seamlessly for Plimpton and his literati pals — raucous parties during his six-decade tenure attracted the likes of Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Frank Sinatra, Robert F. Kennedy, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Ahead of moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Plimpton’s widow — Sarah Dudley Plimpton — threw a farewell fete that was immortalized with a New York Times article in 2018.

The home was originally listed for $5.5 million in 2018, but was removed from the market a year later. According to Crain’s New York Business, it’s since served a rental unit that was asking $22,000 a month in 2020.

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Impossibly distinctive literary credentials aside, the home itself features five bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms, a renovated kitchen with Caesarstone countertops (and the requisite Sub-Zero refrigerator with Bosch appliances), an elegant wood-paneled study, a massive primary suite with jaw-dropping views and a large walk-in closet. There are 40 windows throughout and nine-foot ceilings, offering ample light and a truly serene setting.

Whitney Mogavero and Lisa Gustin from Douglas Elliman have the listing, which you can view in full here.

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