Muppet Mansion Sells on Upper East Side
If you loved Jim Henson and his crazy collection of Muppets, then you just might regret not having $23 million in your pocket this week. That’s because Jim Henson’s home sold recently to a new owner for a reported $23 million, $5 million shy of the original asking price.
The Muppet Mansion
Henson lived in the 12,000 square foot home from 1977, buying the E. 69th Street location for about $600,000. Dubbed “The Muppet Mansion” Henson used the space as his studio to create his lovable creatures until his death.
When Henson died, the estate sold for $12.5 million to a Bank of America executive. In 2008, the estate was then purchased by Edgar Bronfman Jr. for $28.5 million.
A Mysterious Buyer
But never worry — the Muppet tradition will now continue with this lovely home. Records show that the new buyer is “Statler LLC” which is actually the name of the grumpy Muppet who was always heckling performers from the theater box with his good friend Waldorf.
A Unique Opportunity
The anonymous buyer will now have his work cut out for him. The lovely home needs top-to-bottom renovations, as Corcoran brokers Carrie Chiang and Loy Carlos explained in their listing. As they wrote, “”There are few opportunities to create a 40-ft wide majestic residence reminiscent of the golden era when the most prominent New Yorkers like the Fricks, Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Roosevelts built palatial homes in what was then an up and coming neighborhood… the Upper East Side. In 1928, Beekman Winthrop commissioned architect Julius Gaylor who created this masterful residence. […] The house awaits a special purchaser who desires to undertake a restoration befitting its history, marrying it with the best of 21st century technology.”
Time will tell when the buyer will reveal himself — and how extensive the renovations will be. Maybe they’ll bring Kermit and Miss Piggy in for some remodeling advice.
