Erin Lichy, a RHONY cast member, has negotiated her way into an Upper West Side townhouse.
Photo: Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images
Real Housewives of New York star Erin Lichy posted a major New York City flex in her Instagram Reels yesterday: “POV: you’re moving into your dream townhouse.” The real-estate broker, mezcal entrepreneur, interior designer, and house flipper, wearing a sports bra and high-waisted leggings, then jingled her keys and opened the door to a beautiful townhouse foyer.
The townhouse, we quickly determined, is this five-story mansion on the Upper West Side, last listed for $8.25 million with Compass agent Michael Bushkanets, a friend of Lichy’s whom she name-checked in the post. When we called Bushkanets, he told us that it was 20 feet wide, on a historic, landmarked block of West End Avenue, and that the last owners had updated it after buying it seven or eight years ago. Lichy and her husband, who recently had their fourth child, were “looking for their next long-term residence and something they could really put their mark on,” he says. “Not just a home for her kids but a showplace.” Lichy, who counts interior design among her many professional sidelines, may be looking to her life after RHONY if Bravo does a cast shake-up next season. (Either way, another promotional avenue never hurt a Real Housewife.)
The townhouse, as shown in listing photos, is located on a historic block Upper West Side block and has seven bedrooms and nearly 7,000 square feet.
Photo: Compass
The seven-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bath home is nearly 7,000 square feet and just a six-minute walk to Zabar’s — which would seem to be an important feature for Lichy. It was designed by Lamb & Rich, a prominent architectural firm of the late-19th century that also did Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay, and the Astral Apartments in Greenpoint. There are some spectacular original details inside — wood paneling, a rounded wall in the foyer, coffered ceilings, built-in shelves, and a wide, gracious staircase. Also the kitchen is huge, although the heavy cherry cabinetry and dark countertops are a bit outdated — perfectly fine for whipping up some shakshuka among friends, but not, perhaps, the kind of place you’d want to invite Bravo’s cameras into. On the garden level, there’s a rental unit.
The home’s interiors, as shown in listing photos, feature intricate original woodwork, paneling, and coffered ceilings.
Photo: Compass
What’s not entirely clear is whether Lichy is renting the townhouse herself — fronting more wealth than you’ve got is very much in the tradition of Real Housewives — or buying it. Lichy and her husband have been renters, not owners, in the past: There was the (allegedly) rat-infested duplex loft in Tribeca, which RHONY viewers are most familiar with, and another apartment on the Upper West Side that the Lichy family currently rents. On his Instagram, Bushkanets posted photos saying the house had been leased for $25,000 a month, and there’s no record of a sale in city records (at least not yet). When we asked, Bushkanets said that it was “not a standard rental and not a standard sale but something in between.” The house has been on and off the market for several years, so perhaps the owners were more open to a novel arrangement. Bushkanets couldn’t divulge any other details, but said it took “months of back and forth between the parties.”
The home, as shown in listing photos, has central air and other modern upgrades but could benefit from some aesthetic updates, which Lichy intends to take on, according to the listing broker.
Photo: Compass