Oleg Cassini's pristine Gilded Age NYC mansion fetches $34.5M in a bankruptcy sale following a bitter battle with his secret widow

April 1, 2026 - 23:05

A pristine Gilded Age mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, once the home of famed fashion designer Oleg Cassini, has sold for $34.5 million. The sale concludes a dramatic and contentious chapter for the historic property at 15 East 63rd Street.

The transaction was a forced bankruptcy sale, the final act in a bitter legal battle between the estate of the late designer and a woman claiming to be his secret widow. This protracted conflict cast a long shadow over the opulent home, revealing a personal drama starkly at odds with the residence’s elegant facade.

Built in 1901, the 10,000-square-foot townhouse is a landmark of Beaux-Arts architecture. It features grand entertaining salons, a sweeping staircase, seven wood-burning fireplaces, and numerous original details meticulously preserved by Cassini. The designer, renowned for creating Jacqueline Kennedy’s iconic wardrobe, owned the home for over four decades, restoring it to its original splendor.

While the new owner acquires a piece of New York’s architectural and fashion history, the sale will be remembered as much for its turbulent courtroom proceedings as for its record price. The mansion’s grandeur stands in silent contrast to the very public and acrimonious dispute that ultimately dictated its fate.