UES Duplex Once Home to Rothko and Elvis Hits Market for $9.5 Million

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A rare slice of Upper East Side history is up for grabs — but it comes with a twist.

The five-bedroom duplex at 155 East 69th Street, once the workspace of abstract expressionist Mark Rothko and briefly a studio for none other than Elvis Presley, is now on the market for $9.5 million. As first reported by the New York Post, the property is rich with cultural lore and architectural charm — and for the right buyer, a potential windfall.

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The 4,700-square-foot residence occupies half of a Gilded Age carriage house built in 1884 by architect William Schickel. It’s one of the standout properties along a historic stretch once known as “stable row,” where New York’s elite kept their horses and carriages.

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Originally commissioned by financier James Stillman, the Romanesque Revival building spans 50 feet wide and features red brick, arched windows, a private garage, and a coveted curb cut.

Inside, the duplex combines historic elements with spacious, loft-like proportions. The main level includes a large living area with a wood-burning fireplace, a formal dining room, and an eat-in chef’s kitchen. There are three bedrooms on this floor — one with its own fireplace — plus three bathrooms, a laundry room, and a glass-enclosed terrace that floods the space with natural light.

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Upstairs, a skylit atrium leads to the primary suite, which opens onto a landscaped roof terrace. This level also includes a tea room, home office, storage, and elevator access — all the way down to the garage.

But the home’s allure goes far beyond layout.

In the 1960s, Rothko used the top floor as his studio, reportedly manipulating the light with a suspended parachute as he created works for Houston’s Rothko Chapel. That space, now meditative and sun-filled, bears the legacy of his immersive, moody canvases.

A decade earlier, the building played host to an entirely different kind of icon: Elvis. In the 1950s, part of the house was reconfigured as music studios. It was here that Presley re-recorded the final scenes of the “Love Me Tender” soundtrack. Fans lined the block. “There are scenes of him [in 1956] signing autographs outside the house, and getting mobbed as he leaves in a car out of the garage,” broker Jeremy Stein told the Post.

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There is, however, a caveat. The building is co-owned. The duplex currently for sale makes up half the property; the other half is occupied by the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society, a Japanese nonprofit promoting the cultural practice of the “Way of Tea.” While both parties agreed to revisit the ownership arrangement 50 years after their original purchase — 12 years from now — the nonprofit has no intention of selling in the interim.

That doesn’t seem to deter the brokers. Stein told the Post the entire building is estimated to be worth around $24 million today. “At the moment, the Japanese company doesn’t want to sell but they will have to in 12 years and the [$9.5 million] property will be worth a lot more at that time,” he said.

For now, the listing is a one-of-a-kind opportunity — a property that blends old New York elegance with the fingerprints of 20th-century greats. And if you can wait a dozen years, it just might be a rock-solid investment too.

The property is listed with Jeremy V. Stein and Jennifer Henson of Sotheby’s International Realty. View the listing here.

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