Henri Matisse used to paint on the roof of this Manhattan building when his youngest son, Pierre, lived there. There’s even a photograph of Matisse himself painting on the roof displayed in the lobby of Stewart Hall, 10 Mitchell Place, taken around 1930 during one of his visits to New York.
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 at 49th Street — owned via a trust by 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 reported 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 she quit the AP to move into the White House, according to reports.
Legally, the owner of Sloan’s unit is the Don Sloan Article Fifth Trust. (Wealthy people often buy real estate in trusts because it gives them tax advantages.) At around 1,950 square feet, the three- to four-bedroom, 2½-bath apartment comes with three woodburning fireplaces, and north-facing views of private gardens and brownstones.
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 also comes with new double-pane windows and building permission to add a washer/dryer.
The building, which dates to 1928, boasts a mahogany-paneled “Old World” lobby and that noted roof terrace with views of the East River, and the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.
The listing broker is Pavel Zustiak of Douglas Elliman.