Is This the End for the Bubble House?

"The bulging, bug-eyed windows of the townhouse at 251 East 71st Street made it a neighborhood landmark. But the Bubble House was never actually landmarked, and most of the serious buyers who came through after it listed last year weren't there for the façade. They were looking for a blank canvas to gut renovate in a quiet part of town, says Richard Pretsfelder, the listing broker. On Friday, he closed a $4.99 million sale to a family that wasn't hunting for an architectural oddity."

"They will "very likely" take out the windows, he says. After all, "the majority who came in were planning on restoring it to a more traditional façade." Stunned, I asked him to confirm. The buyers didn't want to be public but answered a text minutes later, writing, "We don't know yet." It was an unnerving little ellipsis. "People are obsessed with the house, no question about it," Pretsfelder says."

"He got more press requests than he'd gotten for any listing in his 20-year career, even doing a radio spot for 1010 WINS. But he faced a different set of questions from serious buyers. The house sold in 1974, and the family had moved out years ago, he says, using it as an address for their foundation. By any measure, "it needs a gut renovation," he adds. "There's a lot of formica in there.""

"Then there were the windows, which spin open from a central point, making them impossible to screen from bugs, among other concerns. Still, Pretsfelder got a few serious inquiries from buyers who loved the distinctive windows, including a call from the NBA's Jaylen Brown. "The windows reminded him of his logo," Pretsfelder says, turning my attention to Brown's 741 Performance sneakers with tiny oval bubbles of fabric that pop through the leather. But, like many of the others who wanted to see inside the place, "he didn't follow through.""

A townhouse at 251 East 71st Street became a neighborhood landmark for its bulging, bug-eyed windows, though it was never officially landmarked. Serious buyers who came after the previous listing were mostly interested in a blank canvas for gut renovation in a quiet area. A $4.99 million sale closed to a family that likely plans to remove the windows and restore a more traditional facade. The listing broker reported intense press interest and many inquiries, but buyers asked practical questions about the interior condition and renovation needs. The house had formica and required major work, and the windows spin open from a central point, creating screening and security concerns. Some buyers admired the windows, including an NBA player, but did not proceed.

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