The defining features of the most magnificent mansions in New York are width, quality of facade and location. WIDTH In the Gold Coast of Manhattan, defined here as East 60th Street to East 96th Street, from Fifth Avenue to Third Avenue, there are only 14 mansions that are 40 feet wide. In this unique example, 177 East 73rd Street, its 40 foot width in combination with its depth of 76 feet 8 inches deep plus a small extension renders approximately 17,232 square feet. FACADE Beaux-Arts Architecture in its various exquisite interpretations has commanded a premium through the centuries, its elegance and grace a modern manifestation of the finest elements of Greek and Roman architecture. In New York, Beaux-Arts facades are the most sought-after and the most admired, commanding the highest prices. This bold statement is five massive levels with a one story limestone and granite base and a three story element with massive windows, capped by a mansard with three unusual dormers. The sophistication of the design has been deemed quite unusual from the day it was built. Ceiling heights are extraordinary, ranging from 12 feet 6 inches to 14 feet 8 inches to 16 feet 11 inches. LOCATION While the highest prices are usually commanded by a Fifth to Madison location, the second highest price paid for a mansion at $51 Million was located on East 70th Street between Park and Lexington! East 73rd Street is one of the most elegant on the Upper East Side. There are no buses nor is it a thoroughfare of traffic emerging from or headed toward Central Park. Joseph Pulitzer set the tone with his Venetian Renaissance mansion by McKim, Mead and White at 11 East 73rd Street and one of the firm's partners, Stanford White, completed an exquisite neo-Federal facade at 127 East 73rd Street for the illustrator Charles Dana Gibson. CURB CUT A curb cut is usually found in a carriage house, not as part of a massive 40 foot-wide Beaux-Arts structure. The existing curb cut can facilitate the storage of a major car collection or a fleet of cars required by an embassy or foundation. HISTORICAL PROVENANCE On June 19, 1980, because of its special historical and aesthetic interest 177 East 73rd Street was declared a Landmark Site by the Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York. It was built in 1906 by Charles F. Hoppe for the Automobile Realty Company. It is the only carriage house that was not built originally for horses but rather for wealthy urban auto owners to securely park their automobiles. THE FUTURE To bridge the gap from today's garage to tomorrow's finished mansion, complete residential floorplans are being drawn to offer one vision of the future of this building. Also being developed is a complete budget of that renovation. Both will be available to buyers upon request. This is that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a mansion of unique width and to also be able to park your favorite cars inside. If a 20 foot wide townhouse at 21 Beekman Place sold for $35 million including the furnishings, this home, located on a superb street - with its curb cut - when renovated could be worth in the $100 million to $125 million range.