239 East 48th Street, TH

AVAILABLE FOR RENT FURNISHED ONLY. 5 Bedrooms 5.5 Bathrooms
From the wrought-iron gated forecourt, enter the vestibule of this four-story renovated townhouse which leads onto an open chef's kitchen with granite countertops and the top-of-the-line appliances. An informal eat-in space opens to a sun-flooded family room whose French doors provide access to the historic Turtle Bay Gardens. Built 48-feet, the expansive rear garden provides an open, elegant landscaped environment designed for relaxation and seclusion which blends into the larger common garden.

On the entertaining level above, a tremendous living room with high ceilings receives extraordinary light from its floor to ceiling windows: French doors lead to a newly restored wrought-iron canopied terrace in a Spanish style evoking the Vieux Carr section of New Orleans. A library or private office sits at the front of the house with an adjoining full bathroom. Conveniently disguised in the northeast corner of the Great room is an elevator leading only to the finished full-height basement below.

The Primary bedroom level features a north-facing terrace overlooking the gardens, a marble fireplace, and a spacious master bath which connects to the dressing room which also includes a full Bathroom room and second bedroom with fireplace. Off the main corridor is a linen closet at the foot of the stair leading up to the fourth floor.

Three large bedrooms on the top floor are completed by two full baths, large closets, and two additional fireplaces. Below the garden level, a finished basement is outfitted with modern lighting, Spanish tile floor, and an abundance of storage space. A separate entrance to the street , staff room and half-bath make this a natural for a media room or play room. Video intercom, central air conditioning, and fine finishes provide the security and luxury required by such an outstanding, historically significant townhouse . minimum term: 3months.

TURTLE BAY GARDENS The history of Turtle Bay dates to 1639 when the then Dutch governor gave two Englishmen a land grant of forty acres crossed by a creek that emptied into a bay of the East River. Some historians attribute the name to the turtle-filled creek, the source of many feasts, and the land became known as Turtle Bay Farm. Conceived by Charlotte Hunnewell Sorchan in 1918, the exclusive common garden enclave covering the gardens of 9 houses on East 48th and 11 houses on East 49th Street between Second and Third Avenues.

Dubbed Turtle Bay Gardens, it was actually completed in 1920. Sorchan bought out 21 adjoining lots and from this grand landscape, engaged Edward C. Dean and William L. Bottomley to shave off the original facades of the buildings which were then replaced with lighter stucco facades in a variety of Flemish and Regency styles giving the rear facades a lovely aspect that embellished the impact of the gardens.

The gardens themselves are now an oasis of mature trees and flowering shrubs that share a common path down the center, with a fountain copied from the Villa Medici and statues. It feels like a secret garden sanctuary dropped into the middle of Manhattan. A review from 1920 Architectural Record stated that "each owner has, visually speaking, surrendered a part and received back a beautiful whole."