For decades, drivers heading onto the Queensboro Bridge may have noticed a curious three-story building tucked just beneath the on-ramp \u2014 a narrow brick structure with proportions that never quite matched its Midtown East neighbors.<\/p>\n
Now listed for $10 million, the mixed-use building at 316 E. 59th St. has worn many identities over the past century, but none as memorable as its first: a 1930 small bakery called Home of the Gnomes that attempted to lure customers with a storybook fa\u00e7ade \u2014 most memorably a gnome figure perched above the roofline and another stationed outside, posed mid-bite with a papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 loaf.<\/p>\n
The bakery\u2019s collapse during the economic turmoil of the early 1930s ended its short-lived whimsy, but the structure\u2019s eccentric charm endured as it cycled through an exterminator, a kitchen showroom and a series of creative workspaces.<\/p>\n
The quirky former \u201cHome of the Gnomes\u201d at 316 E. 59th St. \u2014 a onetime 1930s bakery built to resemble a storybook gnome house \u2014 has hit the market for $10 million. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
A gnome figure greeted customers nearly 100 years ago. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
Gnome Bakers once perched papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 gnomes on the fa\u00e7ade before going bankrupt in the early \u201930s, after which the building cycled through an exterminator, a design studio and a kitchen-furnishings showroom. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
The 6,500-square-foot mixed-use Sutton Place property last sold in 2000. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
During the early 2000s, it brought renewed attention to its residential potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Culminating in a 2015 moment of fame, the penthouse hit the rental market at $14,000 per month, drawing interest for its soaring 27-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, Vermont Castings wood stove and an open great room that together resemble more of a rustic cabin than a New York City home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Juliet balcony on the upper level practically grazes the Queensboro Bridge, offering an unexpected tableau of steel trusses and city traffic at eye level. A terrace outback overlooks a private 47-by-24-foot garden \u2014 an amenity that feels almost improbable in this part of Midtown.<\/p>\n
Its residential spaces later drew attention in 2015, when the penthouse listed for rent for $14,000 a month Facebook\/Denis<\/p>\n
Features include exposed brick, 27-foot ceilings, a Vermont Castings wood stove and a Juliet balcony facing the Queensboro Bridge. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
The kitchen. Facebook\/Denis<\/p>\n
One of five bedrooms. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
Now offered at 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms and 3.5 baths, the property is being pitched as both a turnkey residence and a long-term play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The site\u2019s mixed-use zoning (R8\/C2-5) and roughly 9,500 square feet of unused air rights allow for significant reinterpretation, from a contemporary townhouse to a boutique commercial concept. <\/p>\n
With just one residential and one commercial unit, the structure sits at the crossroads of possibility: it can be repositioned, expanded or preserved as-is for a buyer who values its offbeat history, according to the listing, from Ariel Ben Ezra of Wingate Advisors Inc.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The home offers nearly 9,500 square feet of unused air rights. Facebook\/Denis<\/p>\n
Patrons look through the windows of the former bakery. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
The home also offers a terrace overlooking a 47-by-24-foot backyard. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
The view of the Gnome House from the Queensboro Bridge. Wingate Advisors<\/p>\n
What hasn\u2019t changed is the building\u2019s improbable sense of playfulness.<\/p>\n
Though the original gnome statues have long disappeared, the proportions of the great room, the vintage brickwork and the narrow frontage still hint at its theatrical beginnings.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For decades, drivers heading onto the Queensboro Bridge may have noticed a curious three-story building tucked just beneath…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,95338,229,88,186,20571,78213,10021,4227,34868,152651,1999,152652,1170,1349],"class_list":["post-291052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-bakery","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-exclusive","tag-historic-buildings","tag-luxe-listings","tag-luxury-real-estate","tag-manhattan","tag-midtown","tag-midtown-east","tag-new-york-city","tag-queensboro-bridge","tag-real-estate","tag-residential-real-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}