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A meticulously restored Georgian townhouse at 241 E. 48th St. has come up for sale — and beyond its many perks, it comes with coveted access to a rare oasis in Manhattan.
Priced at $11.5 million, this 5,500-square-foot residence sits within the exclusive Turtle Bay Gardens, a historic enclave known for its lush, private communal garden — a lush hangout accessible only to the 20 surrounding homes.
The property, a five-story masterpiece with a finished cellar, boasts a recent Landmarks-approved renovation and modern luxuries like a smart home system and elevator access, all while preserving its turn-of-the-century charm.
Turtle Bay Gardens, nestled between East 48th and 49th streets between Second and Third avenues, has long been a magnet for luminaries.
In 1920, Charlotte Hunnewell Sorchan transformed the area by acquiring adjacent lots and reimagining them as a cohesive community.
She enlisted architects to strip away the original facades, replacing them with elegant stucco, and cultivated a central garden filled with towering trees and pleasing shrubs. Today, the enclave remains a coveted retreat.
The townhouse itself is a standout. Its ground floor features a chef’s kitchen with a waterfall island, a sun-drenched great room with 20-foot ceilings and a gas fireplace.
The parlor level offers a formal living room with a Juliet balcony and a built-in library, while the upper floors house a full-floor primary suite with a spa-like bathroom, two ensuite bedrooms, and a loft-style suite with a terrace overlooking the large garden.
A cellar entertainment room, a gym and ample storage round out the offerings.
“Offered well below replacement value — estimated to save the new owner over $2 million in renovation costs — this is a true turnkey masterpiece,” the listing says. The property is represented by Nikki Field and Matt Perceval, Sotheby’s International Realty.
Turtle Bay Gardens has historically drawn a roster of cultural icons, including Katharine Hepburn, Stephen Sondheim, and E.B. White, who penned “Charlotte’s Web” while residing on 48th Street.
But perhaps the garden enclave’s most famous resident was Bob Dylan, who lived next door at 242 E. 49th St. for two decades, from the 1980s to 2005. That property, which is also one of the few that enjoys garden access, listed for $7.25 million in December 2024. It entered into contract in February.
Dylan’s tenure in Turtle Bay Gardens began when he rented the townhouse in the 1980s, later purchasing it in 1990 through a business associate.
He raised his young children there, drawn to the privacy the enclave afforded.
He eventually sold the home in 2005 for $4.45 million, and its recent listing coincided — purely by chance, the agent insists — with the theatrical release of the buzzy 2024 film about his life.
The neighborhood’s creative legacy extends beyond Dylan. Hepburn lived at 244 E. 49th St., while Sondheim called the same address home for 60 years until his death in 2021; his property fetched $7 million in 2023.
Even more recently, banker Olivier Sarkozy and child star Mary-Kate Olsen owned a double-wide townhouse at 226-228 E. 49th St., selling it for just over $10 million in 2024 after their divorce.
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