Bill Cosby’s Gilded Age townhouse has dodged foreclosure thanks to a hefty $28 million sale.
A buyer snapped up the seven-story Upper East Side home less than a month after Cosby listed it for $29 million, according to records filed with the city Department of Finance Friday.
The deal, first reported by Realtor.com, closed in early November.
Bill Cosby Stephen Yang
Cosby’s townhouse at 18 E. 71st St. J.C. Rice
The limestone-clad mansion at 18 E. 71st St. sits along one of the city’s wealthiest lanes.
It boasts a litany of past and present high-profile neighbors, including the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” brownstone and Joan Didion’s former co-op, as well as more infamous residents. Jeffrey Epstein’s former mansion is directly across the street.
Cosby, 88, has remained out of the public eye for more than a decade, after more than 60 women publicly accused the comedian of sexual crimes. Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018, but that decision was overturned three years later by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Cosby acquired the home through a lawyer in 1987, according to city records, near the height of his career.
The townhome, known as Luyster Mansion, is less than a block away from Central Park. J.C. Rice
Cosby reportedly bought the home as a surprise for his wife, Camille. WireImage
The orante limestone entrance. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post
The marble-lined vestibule. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post
The stately six-bedroom residence was reportedly purchased as a surprise for his wife, Camille.
Built in 1899 by architect John Duncan, the 13,000-square-foot townhouse boasts an ornate limestone facade, a copper mansard roof and easy access to Central Park. The interiors include a soaring central hall, intricately inlaid floors, 11 fireplaces and a 500-square-foot roof garden.
The disgraced actor’s sale of the impressive property, known as the Luyster Mansion, was overshadowed not only by his reputation, but by mounting debt.
The Cosbys were hit with foreclosure proceedings for Luyster Mansion in 2024. Their lender, First Foundation Bank, accused the couple of allegedly defaulting on $17.5 million in loans and owing more than $300,000 in property taxes. The Cosbys denied the allegations in court.
Cosby’s second Manhattan home is still on the market. Google Maps
Cosby’s second Manhattan home, at 243 E. 61st St., has problems of its own.
The four-story home in Lenox Hill hit the market in April for $6.99 million. The price was reduced to $6.75 million in July, according to Zillow, as a separate legal battle raged on.
In late 2024 CitiMortgage alleged the Cosbys defaulted on a $4.2 million loan for that home.
Cosby bought the 5,000-square-foot tonwhouse in 1980, according to records. It was reportedly used by Cosby’s late son, Ennis, who at 27 was murdered in a failed 1997 robbery attempt in Los Angeles.
That residence remains on the market. Adam Schneider of Corcoran Westside Columbus listed both properties.
