Stunning Upper East Side Gilded Age mansion will transform into private club

One of the Upper East Side’s most prominent and last Gilded Age mansions is slated for a sweeping interior teardown, part of a plan to transform the 1903 landmark into a members-only private club with residences above.

Permits recently filed with the Department of Buildings outline a $19 million renovation at 854 Fifth Avenue that would strip out and reconfigure more than half of the property’s footprint — which includes adding a rooftop extension and enclosing the courtyard for expanded dining space, according to Crains. 

The exterior, protected under the city’s landmark designation, is expected to remain intact.

The mansion is roughly 16,000 square feet. Plans include reimagining the lower floors as dining rooms, lounges, and a bar for club members — while the top two levels will hold three private apartments totaling around 6,000 square feet.

Once permits are approved, construction will soon begin.

The Beaux Arts townhouse – designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architects behind Grand Central Terminal and the New York Yacht Club — has been vacant since 2018. It previously served as the Permanent Mission of the former Yugoslavia to the United Nations. 

In 2022, the 30-foot-wide mansion that sits between 66th and 67th streets changed hands for $50 million in an all-cash deal. 

Records link the purchase to Qatari investor Abdulhadi Al-Hajri, who has made high-profile acquisitions, including London’s Ritz Hotel.

Developer Howard Corney, connected to UK-based Thornham Residential Holdings, is overseeing the work. Peter Pennoyer Architect is the architect of record. 

The Post has reached out for comment.

Plans also call for an ADA-accessible lift at the entrance and 2,500 square feet of new rooftop construction. 

Memberships will be limited, and filings indicate that any live music or events will be kept small to avoid large crowds.