The Manhattan Duplex of Artists Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Lists for $4.75 Million
The Lenox Hill home underwent a renovation in the early 2000s that included the addition of steel details and an eye-catching winding staircase
The New York City duplex of artists Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan has hit the market for $4.75 million. Constructed in 1907, this historic building is located at 130 East 67th Street, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The duplex underwent a renovation in the early 2000s that included the addition of steel details, beveled glass casement doors and windows, an eye-catching winding staircase, and carefully selected hardware. The second floor was transformed into an expansive primary suite, and new windows, walls, and brass fixtures were installed.
Other design elements include 20-foot ceilings, a sprawling living room, original double-height windows, a chef’s kitchen, a butler’s pantry, three wood-burning fireplaces, and a walk-in temperature-controlled professional-grade wine cellar. In total, the Lenox Hill residence features three bedrooms, two full baths, and one partial bath.
When one of the listing agents, Eileen Angelo, first saw the duplex, many pieces from Shapiro’s own art collection were on display, such as a sizable painting by Jasper Johns. Angelo told the New York Post that this home “lends itself to showing off a lot of art, not just on the walls, but in the space.” The property is listed by Angelo and Max Collins of Sotheby’s International Realty – East Side Manhattan Brokerage.
Shapiro died at the age of 83 this past June, and is survived by his wife, Ellen Phelan, a fellow artist, and his daughter, Ivy Shapiro, a Brooklyn-based art consultant. The Pace Gallery described Shapiro as “one of America’s most renowned artists and a major figure in the history of sculpture in the 20th century, who also worked across drawing and printmaking, pushed the boundaries of sculptural form over the past six decades with a body of work distinguished by its dynamism, complexity, and formal elegance.”
Throughout his life, Shapiro created over 30 large-scale commissions, including “Loss and Regeneration.” In 2001, five large sculptures by Shapiro were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. He had a studio in Long Island City, not far from this duplex.
