The New School’s Greenwich Village mansion, an elegant 19th-century brick building that has served as a residence for university presidents and as a venue for school functions for the past four decades, is now on the market.
The asking price is $20 million, according to brokers Nikki Field and Mara Flash Blum of Sotheby’s International Realty. Annual property taxes will be determined at closing, they said.
The school recently decided to sell the property, known as Scatturo House, located just around the corner from campus at 21 West 11th Street, amid mounting pressure from faculty and students to find ways to offset a looming budget shortfall. The mansion is currently occupied by the interim president, Donna Shalala, a former member of Congress and secretary of health and human services under President Bill Clinton.
Four other university presidents have lived in the mansion since the New School bought it for $990,000 in 1984 from children’s science book authors Herman and Nina Schneider. (Public records show a $740,000 mortgage was taken out and paid off in 1995.)
The five-story structure — 20 feet wide with a classic front plinth and flower window boxes — includes 4,038 square feet, with four bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms and a library/den room that could be converted into an additional bedroom. There is a total of 900 sq ft of outdoor space, including a spacious veranda off the master bedroom and a landscaped and irrigated rear garden with trees, various plants and perennial flowers – a popular setting for school functions.
“These events include student, faculty and staff receptions and community gatherings,” Amy Malsin, a university spokeswoman, said in an email.
The home underwent a major makeover in 2000 and has had additional upgrades in recent years, according to Ms. Malsin. Dedicated in 2003 to Philip J. Scatturo, former chancellor and trustee of the school.
Among the various changes to the building, Ms. Blum said, were a new kitchen with radiant heat tile floors, central air conditioning, new windows and bathrooms and the addition of a striking two-story glass wall and doors that look out onto the garden.
“The house has been upgraded and renovated, but it still retains its charm and history,” Ms. Blum said, noting that some original architectural details remain, such as marble fireplaces, painted columns and a mahogany-railed staircase. “The bones of the house are beautiful,” he added.
Designed in a Greek Revival style with Federal architectural influences, the home is located at Greenwich Village Historic District, between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas. Built in 1838, originally with two and a half storiesas part of a row of houses on West 11th Street, and several decades later it was modernized and expanded.
“West 11th is a very sought-after and very valuable block,” Ms. Field said of the location. “Some refer to it as the downtown billionaires’ feud.”
The main entrance to the townhouse is through a foyer on the living room floor that opens into a large living room, where there is a functional wood-burning fireplace, one of two in the house.
Beyond the living room is the formal dining room, overlooking the garden, and a powder room.
The kitchen is downstairs at garden level, which has a separate outside entrance through a wrought iron gate, as well as access to the rear garden through glass doors. The kitchen is equipped with granite counters, high-end appliances, a center island with a breakfast bar and a large pantry. The garden level also features a mudroom, storage and laundry areas, and a bathroom.
The master bedroom suite is located on the third floor and features two bathrooms, two large walk-in closets and a veranda. Opposite the bedroom is a library/media room with fireplace and built-in shelving. Upstairs there are two more bedrooms and a shared bathroom, and upstairs there is a guest suite with bath and exercise area.
“My favorite room is the living room,” Ms. Shalala said through a school spokeswoman, adding that she particularly enjoyed reading the newspaper there in front of the fireplace.
Throughout the house there are hardwood floors and oversized windows that let in plenty of sunlight, and many of the rooms display a rotating collection of art from the university.
“It’s like a living, breathing gallery,” Ms. Field said.
“The new owners will have many opportunities to showcase their own collection,” Ms. Blum added.