“Real Housewives of New York City” alum Sonja Morgan has opted to auction off her stunning Upper East Side townhouse next month, Gimme Shelter has learned.
The five-story home, at 162 E. 63rd St., will be sold online on May 29 by Concierge Auctions in cooperation with longtime luxury broker Adam Modlin, of the Modlin Group.
The sale opens on May 15, with no minimum. Beginning bids are expected to range between $1.75 million to $3.75 million, according to Paulina Kimbel, vice president of business development at Concierge Auctions.
The dwelling, which famously comes with a secret elevator that was often part of Bravo’s hit “RHONY” series, has been on and off the market since 2013, when it first asked $9.95 million. Up until last week, it was listed for $7.5 million.
“This townhouse has been our cherished home for decades,” Morgan said in a statement. “In addition to raising my daughter here, we entertained heads of state, royalty, luminaries and Fortune 500 CEOs. Many memories were made over the years, including hosting my daughter’s friends from boarding school and university, and so many noteworthy moments were filmed by NBC for Bravo and Peacock TV. Now, as an empty nester, I am ready to share this turnkey, easy-to-manage jewel over to someone new to enjoy as we did.”
Morgan, who was married to banking heir John Adams Morgan from 1998 to 2006, starred in the hit Bravo reality show from 2010 to 2021. She is now touring with her comedy show.
An entrepreneur, cabaret star and fan favorite, Morgan managed to keep the stately townhouse through ups and downs, which included a 2010 bankruptcy filing. At the time, court papers revealed she was $19.8 million in debt, with $13.5 million in assets. The bankruptcy case was settled in 2015, when Morgan was allowed to keep the residence — and ultimately, she decided to stay there.
Morgan re-listed the exquisite property in 2022 for $8.75 million, before dropping the price to $7.5 million last year.
“The auction process aligns with my goal to sell at market value in an efficient and timely manner,” Morgan said in her statement. “It’s now finally the time to take advantage of the moment.”
Last December, Morgan told Page Six that although she had moved out of the townhouse, she was forced to move back in at the start of the pandemic, when her renter moved out.
“My house isn’t rented anymore, so I had to move back into my own house,” she explained, joking that she’s “sort of like a squatter.”
Over the years, the home has itself been a star on television — during times when Morgan renovated it, rented it, and had it on and off the market.
It includes a sauna, a gym, a library and tony details such as custom mosaic floors in the entry. There are also two large master baths with nautical motifs that reflect the interests of Sonia’s ex-husband, as well as his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, J.P. Morgan, who were all “noted yachtsmen and Commodores of the New York Yacht Club,” according to a former listing.
Design details also include marble floors, hand-painted silk wallpaper, Venetian plastered walls and silk and cedar-lined closets with mahogany drawers.
At 4,650 square feet, the townhouse delivers five bedrooms and 5½ baths, along with an 800-square-foot basement. Outside, there’s a 575-square-foot landscaped garden with a fountain and a koi pond.
Back inside, the first floor opens to a grand foyer. French doors lead to a solarium with floor-to-ceiling windows.
The second floor features a large formal dining room with a woodburning fireplace and an 18th-century marble mantel. There’s also a sunlit eat-in kitchen, and a third room that can serve as a guest bedroom, a library or a home office, with arched windows and Venetian plaster walls.
The main bedroom suite takes up the third floor and features another woodburning fireplace, a sitting room, a spa-like bath and a balcony overlooking the garden.
A fourth floor comes with another bedroom with a woodburning fireplace, while the fifth floor boasts an apartment-style suite with two additional bedrooms, another fireplace and a full bath — along with a kitchenette.
Real Estate – Latest NYC, US & Celebrity News | New York Post
