57 East 66th Street

Pop artist Andy Warhol's Lexington Avenue townhouse had become overcrowded from his growing collection, prompting him to search for a larger residence. His live-in boyfriend, Jed Johnson, toured dozens of properties, jotting down notes to keep Warhol abreast of the search.^[8] Johnson found the East 66th Street townhouse, which Warhol purchased in January 1974 for $310,000—a bargain attributed to the recent stock market crash.^[8] Despite passing inspection, the house had early issues with plumbing and the elevator.^[8] By the end of the summer, Warhol had invested an additional $70,000 in renovations, installing high-end kitchen appliances and a custom stereo system with six walnut speakers.^[8] Johnson collaborated with architect Peter Marino to renovate the kitchens and bathrooms.^[9]

Warhol entrusted the decoration of the townhouse to Johnson, who transformed it into a curated display of historical design.^[10] Influenced by the interiors he had seen while traveling with Warhol to the homes of prominent collectors and designers in Europe, Johnson applied a mix of Neoclassical, Art Deco, and Victorian styles.^[10] He assigned each room a distinct period, acquiring furniture to suit the architecture, and he later enlisted craftsman Leo Sans to create elaborate Oriental stencils on the walls.^[11] The foyer featured a bust of Napoleon, while Warhol's bedroom combined 19th-century Federal and American Empire furnishings with decorative textiles and wallpaper.^[12][13] The parlor was arranged with antique seating and carpets, and the Art Deco sitting room included furniture by leading early 20th-century designers.^[13] Despite his extensive art collection, he did not display his own work at home.^[13]

While Johnson lived with him, Warhol promised to store his shopping bags in closets and top-floor storage rooms.^[10] Johnson ran his decorating business from the fourth floor until 1980.^[14] After he moved out, the house became increasingly filled with Warhol's acquisitions.^[15] At the time of Warhol's death in February 1987, he occupied a second-floor bedroom and a basement kitchen; all other rooms—except for quarters used by his housekeepers—were devoted to storage.^[15]

Although Warhol had a reputation for allowing virtually anyone to enter his studio, the Factory, he rarely entertained guests at his home. It was not until after Warhol's death that Johnson's work on the house was widely documented. The interior was photographed by Evelyn Hofer for the July 1987 issue of Vanity Fair, by Robert Mapplethorpe for the December 1987 issue of House & Garden, and in 1987 by Elizabeth Heyert for her book Metropolitan Places (1989).^[16][10][13] Some argued Warhol's house should be preserved as an "art-world Graceland," but his will made no provisions for maintaining the home or his collection.^[17] In April 1988, a private tour of his home was arranged by Sotheby's before his enormous collection was sold during a 10-day auction.^[18][12]

On August 6, 1998, in celebration of Warhol's 70th birthday, the Historic Landmark Preservation dedicated a plaque to the townhouse to honor the artist.^[1]

Soon after Warhol's death, the street number "57" was stolen from the façade, prompting later owners, Adolfo Barnatán and Elena Benaroche, to install a gate at the front of the property, which has since been removed.^[19] In 1991, the townhouse was purchased for $3 million by Barnatán and Benaroche, who never occupied it. Two years later, they sold the house for $3.35 million.^[19] The subsequent owners made some upgrades but preserved the original architecture.^[19]

In January 2000, the 8,000-square-foot townhouse was sold to Tom Freston, chairman of MTV, for $6.5 million.^[19] Freston remodeled the property and listed it for $38.5 million in 2008, later reducing the asking price to $35 million before taking it off the market later that year.^[20][21]