An Art Collector’s Dream Above Manhattan
For the serious art collector, the ideal home is more than a place to display a collection. It is a setting that gives the work room to breathe, offers the right light at every hour and creates a dialogue between art, architecture and the world beyond the walls.
At One Sutton Place South, Manhattan’s only penthouse residence was designed with precisely that in mind.
Occupying the entire top floor of the celebrated Rosario Candela-designed building, the extraordinary residence combines the proportions of a grand prewar apartment with the precision of a contemporary gallery. Nearly every room opens onto the apartment’s approximately 7,400 square feet of surrounding terraces, while walls of glass frame the East River, bridges and Manhattan skyline like ever-changing works of art themselves.
Originally commissioned by Henry Phipps for his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Winston Guest, the residence has been meticulously reimagined for modern living without losing the architectural grandeur of its origins. The result is a home where an impressive art collection feels entirely at home.
Designed for the Collection
Every detail of the penthouse reflects an understanding of how art lives within a space.
A large windowed Gallery forms the entrance to the southern entertaining wing, setting the tone for the rooms beyond. The Living Room features curved walls lined with expansive windows, creating a dramatic backdrop for works of art while drawing the eye outward toward the East River and city skyline.
Even the lighting was approached with the precision of a private gallery. A sophisticated lighting system was created to meet the demands of art display, allowing pieces to be illuminated thoughtfully while still providing the warmth and flexibility required of a residence.
It is an unusual balance: gallery-level attention to art paired with spaces that remain deeply livable.
A Library with a wet bar offers a more intimate setting for collecting, reading and conversation, while the elegant Dining Room provides a natural gathering space with spectacular city views. Throughout, clean lines and restrained contemporary finishes create a quiet backdrop, allowing art, architecture and the views to take center stage.
And then there is the light.
Where the City Becomes Part of the Collection
Few homes offer such a dynamic relationship with natural light. With terraces surrounding the apartment and exposures in multiple directions, the atmosphere changes constantly throughout the day.
Morning light moves across the interiors. Afternoon sun illuminates the terraces. At night, the Manhattan skyline becomes a luminous backdrop beyond the windows.
A dramatic skylight above the Living Room adds another element entirely, bringing the changing sky directly into the home.
The terraces, meanwhile, offer approximately 7,400 square feet of private outdoor space, including a southern terrace of more than 1,600 square feet with southwestern views. Rather than functioning simply as outdoor entertaining areas, they extend the gallery-like experience beyond the walls, offering ever-changing views that rival any artwork.
A Private Wing for Living and Collecting
Two private elevator landing points divide the penthouse into distinct entertaining and private wings.
The northern portion is devoted to the Primary Suite and quieter spaces of the home. The Primary Bedroom is particularly dramatic, with a curved wall of north-facing windows, breathtaking views and soaring 15-foot ceilings.
Two large Dressing Rooms and two sleek bathrooms complete the suite, while a Den and adjacent Study create additional spaces for reading, working or enjoying a quieter moment away from the entertaining rooms.
An additional ensuite bedroom is also located in the northern wing, while two more ensuite bedrooms occupy the southern portion of the residence.
The layout allows the home to function equally well as an intimate private retreat or as a sophisticated setting for entertaining around a significant collection.
Art, Architecture and History
The penthouse's appeal begins long before stepping inside.
One Sutton Place South is one of Rosario Candela’s distinguished 1927 designs, characterized by the architect’s signature attention to proportion, elegance and detail. A grand triple-arched recessed porte-cochère introduces the building, while a tiered private riverfront garden gives residents a rare connection to greenery and the East River.
Inside the penthouse, that architectural heritage becomes the foundation for something distinctly contemporary.
The original grandeur is not competing with the art. Instead, it gives the collection context.
That may ultimately be what makes this residence so compelling for a collector. It offers the scale of a museum, the privacy of a private home and a backdrop that can never be duplicated: Manhattan itself.
Here, art does not simply decorate the rooms. It becomes part of a larger composition, framed by Candela’s architecture, carefully controlled light, expansive terraces and the ever-changing skyline beyond.
1 Sutton Place South, PH, New York, NY 10022
$19,000,000
4 BD | 6.5 BA | 6,600 SF
