02.12.15
Edey Mansion, a luxury townhouse designed in 1899. Located at 10 W.
56th St. in NYC, it was former home to Elizabeth Taylor and later
the luxury retailer, Felissimo.
Barrett's new luxury headquarters will be in the six-story, 16,000 sq. ft. building that was constructed in the Belle Epoque era, once described by Diana Vreeland "the last era of absolute luxury." The style of the building is Beaux-Arts.
The light-colored limestone mansion is located at 10 W. 56th Street - and was known as the Felissimo Townhouse in recent years. (See below). Elizabeth Taylor lived there with her third husband MIchael Todd, from 1957 - 1958.
Barrett will rent the space for $1.5 billion per year, the New York Post reported, from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim.
The New Space Will Maximize the Building's Features
The new salon will be 9,000 sq. ft., plus 3,500 sq. ft. of luxury retail space.
The space is described by Barrett's team as featuring a "grand sculptural palladium window rising 20 feet, with an elegant cartouche and keystone at the centerpiece of the design on the facade's second level." There is also a "sweeping, romantic marble staircase, soaring plaster-encrusted ceilings, antique Venetian chandeliers, a ballroom and a formal garden terrace are just a handful of the fashionable home's attributes."
It was designed back in 1899 by architectural firm Warren & Wetmore, known for Grand Central Terminal and Steinway Hall.
Jim Hedges, CEO, John Barrett, said: "Given our growth trajectory, the luxurious setting, the grandeur and the mansion's proximity to our long-standing customers from the Bergdorf Goodman penthouse, this property makes perfect sense for us."
The Mansion's Rich History & Former Owners
The mansion's beauty remains intact - the layout and structure of the floors above the ground level haven't been changed over the years. Its first owners were one of New York's wealthiest young couples in 1899 - Frederick C. Edey and Sarah Birdsall Otis Edey. He held a seat on the NYC stock exchnage, and she became the first editor of the Girl Scout Leader Magazine in 1919, and then National President of the Girl Scouts of America in 1930.
The building's later owners included Boue Sourers, a women's gowns and lingerie dealer, who moved in in 1936; and aviator/cosmetics manufacturer Jacqueline Cochran in 1945, according to the blog, Daytonian in Manhattan.
During the 1990's, the building was known as the Felissimo Townhouse, owned by Fellisimo Universal Corp. of America. Felissimo, which was part of a larger corporation headquartered in Japan, turned the mansion into a luxe retail store. Felissimo had a tea room on the top level, which was often frequented by celebrity shoppers, and its design / buying offices in another building across the street.
Next, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim purchased the mansion for $15.5 billion in 2011. Slim has been called the World's Richest Man and his fortune was estimated to be worth $74 billion by Forbes in 2011.
Photo of Building: Beyond My Ken / DatonianManhattan.blogspot
Photo of Elizabeth Taylor in her former home at 10 W. 56th St: Publimetro.com
Photo of John Barrett: JohnBarrett.com
