New design for Roman Abramovitch’s UES megamansion unveiled

The changes will go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission next week

Revised plans for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's Upper East Side megamansion are set to go before the Landmarks Preservation Commission next week, and newly released presentation materials—which will be among the items the LPC reviews before rendering a yea or nay—show the scope of the changes.

Recall, if you will, that Abramovich originally planned to renovate three adjoining townhouses at 11, 13, and 15 East 75th Street into an 18,000-square-foot Frankenhome, with an enormous pool, a screening room, a central atrium, and other bonkers amenities. The LPC approved those plans in 2016.

But earlier this year, Abramovich added a fourth townhouse on the block—No. 9—to his assemblage, and has since reconfigured the megamansion with Wang; now, it will include Nos. 9, 11, and 13, with No. 15 officially dropped from the design.

Stephen Wang & Associates

From left: Nos. 9, 11, and 13 East 75th Street.

According to the presentation materials on file with the LPC, the new plan is to take down the existing facade on No. 9 (currently nondescript red brick) and replace it with one that matches what's going in place next door at No. 11. That building's exterior is being restored to a nicer version of its existing Neo-Federal style. Other details on No. 9, including the front door and the window frames, will mirror the ones at No. 11.

The rear facade, meanwhile, will be incorporated using the existing plans, which call for unifying the three townhouses with a glass and bronze curtain wall.

Other proposed elements of the megamansion—the pool, the "art room," the landscaped backyard, and the like—remain the same, though have been shifted to accommodate the change in location.

Wang, who has been working with starchitects Herzog & de Meuron on the project, will present the updated plans to the LPC on Tuesday. A rep for Wang's firm previously told Curbed that the new design "will lend itself nicely to the block and create a more balanced approach to the streetscape."

The statement continues, "We are confident we will gain the approvals necessary. This process is on-going and we will continue to brief all parties involved and work closely with relevant stakeholders."

• Russian billionaire's Upper East Side megamansion-to-be switches things up [Curbed]
• Russian Billionaire's Upper East Side Megamansion Gets the Go-Ahead From Landmarks [Curbed]