Henri Matisse used to paint on the roof of this Manhattan building when his youngest son, Pierre, lived there. There is even a photograph of Matisse’s own ceiling painting displayed in the lobby of Stuart Hall at 10 Mitchell Place, taken during one of his visits to New York around 1930.
Pierre owned the nearby Pierre Matisse Gallery at 41 E. 57th St. in the Fuller Building until his death in 1989.
Now a unit in the building between Beekman Place and First Avenue on 49th Street — owned by a trust for TV commercial producer Elaine Sloan — is on the market for $1.85 million.
The late pioneering journalist Lorena Alice “Hick” Hickok, a close friend and alleged lover of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, lived across the hall from the Sloan residence. Hickok was a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune and the Associated Press before leaving the AP to move to the White House. according to reports,
Legally, the owner of Sloan’s entity is the Don Sloan Article Fifth Trust. (Wealthy people often buy real estate in trusts because it gives them tax advantages.) At about 1,950 square feet, the three- to four-bedroom, 2½-bath apartments feature three wood-burning fireplaces and north-facing views of private gardens Are. Brown stone.
The residence features an open living/dining room with an adjacent wet bar, and pocket doors that open to a library with built-in banquette seating and a full-size pull-out bed. There are lots of built-in closets and storage throughout the unit, which comes with new double-pane windows and building permits to add a washer/dryer.
The building, which dates back to 1928, boasts a mahogany-paneled “Old World” lobby and famous rooftop terrace with views of the East River and the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.
The listing broker is Pawel Justiak of Douglas Elliman.