Turning a Carved-up Manhattan Brownstone Into a Family’s Dream Home

Over the course of several years, Sandra Piedrabuena has transformed a former multiunit brownstone just off Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side into a modern six-level showpiece with a backyard garden and a swimming pool and a gym in the basement.

“To me it’s priceless, to have a home like this a half-block from Central Park,” she said. “You have your own world in your own house with your backyard and your own indoor pool. It’s an oasis—you have everything right here.”

“All three of my children learned to swim there,” she said.

More: F1 Champ Jenson Button’s California Compound Has Emerged From a Major Renovation

Before the renovation could begin, it took several years for Piedrabuena, who has run two companies in the past, and her husband, hedge fund manager Russell Abrams, to buy out the other tenants and begin to combine the units into a single-family townhouse.

They moved to an apartment across the street so that she could oversee the renovation, Piedrabuena said. “It was a big, big project. We kept the front facade, and then we blew everything out.”

They excavated the site to create a bottom floor large and deep enough for a pool and to create higher ceilings throughout, she said. They also bumped out the back wall four feet to create extensions on every floor.

“It came out better than we ever thought it would,” Piedrabuena said. “We are so happy with how it came out.”

The fully renovated 8,550-square-foot townhouse on West 70th Street now has five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two partial bathrooms. It is currently on the market for $14.9 million, listed with Serhant agents Talia McKinney and Ryan Serhant.

More: A Palm Springs Party House That Hosted Frank Sinatra and the Marx Brothers Has Emerged From a Gut Reno

The brownstone, built in 1891, was designed in the Neo-Renaissance and New-Romanesque style by the architect Gilbert Schellenger, who designed residences and commercial buildings throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. 

“You can tell they took the time and a lot of money to do this right—and it’s top to bottom,” McKinney said. “Every bathroom is beautiful, every floor is done so well.”

“The elevator goes to all of the floors, including the basement and the roof, which is rare,” she said.

The major renovation is now almost 10 years old, and “they’ve done minor updates throughout since then,” she said.

The home now features a new double-height, full-floor parlor level with a coffered ceiling and a bar, a new mahogany central staircase, multiple fireplaces, 9.5-foot ceilings and white oak floors throughout. Amenities include a home theater, a game room, multiple bars, a front patio snow-melt system and central air conditioning, according to Piedrabuena and the listing.

More: He Turned an English Water Tower Into a Stunning Industrial Home. The Project Became His ‘Whole Life.’

The lower spa level holds the 33-foot-long pool and spa, a gym, a steam shower and a bedroom. The eat-in kitchen, which has a walk-in pantry and a large dining area, is on the garden level.

“It’s an amazing house for entertaining,” said Piedrabuena, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. “We would have tango dancers on the parlor level.”

“We’ve had lots of parties in the house–school events, celebrations for every holiday,” she said. They became known in the neighborhood for their Halloween parties, which often drew more than 100 people.

“The new kitchen is massive, with a lot of light,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite places. I cook a lot and it’s a great place to entertain.”

Piedrabuena told us more about her kitchen and the rest of the renovation.

I describe my aesthetic as… Contemporary. I designed this home to be sleek, with modern design and functional elegance. 

The advice I have for others is… Just because you see a floor plan, or CAD picture, it doesn’t mean that the details are finished. There are so many details that go into a renovation and so many things to decide on to complete a finished look. It’s crucial to have good communication with the architect and the general manager and be on the same page. 

The biggest surprise was… I was surprised to learn that not everyone was as knowledgeable about modern building materials or products, especially the more environmentally safe materials that are better suited for your home. 

My favorite room after the renovation is… the kitchen and the way that it flows into the backyard. It provides a great space to connect with family, to celebrate, or even just share everyday life. It offers lots of space and high ceilings. 

The most dramatic change was… Definitely the parlor floor and the “wow” factor of the double-high ceiling—it’s amazing for entertaining.

A favorite material or product discovered during the process was… the acid stone wash in the primary bathroom. It was a whole slab of marble stone, and the acid stone wash allowed the veins of the marble to become exposed, creating a vivid texture and surface.

An unexpected expense was…  Like with any renovation, you have to expect the unexpected. Making any small tweaks or changes after a plan was approved turned out to be very expensive.

The total cost of the renovation… It was a 12-year, multimillion-dollar process to purchase and combine all of the units.