Pritzker Prize-winning architect I M Pei and his wife Eileen lived at this New York property for 45 years before his death earlier this year at the age of 102 – now it’s been listed for $8m.

The Sutton Place townhouse in Manhattan dates back to 1899 and blends a Victorian shell with Pei’s modernist aesthetic. He extensively renovated the exterior and interior of the house, in keeping with his own design principals, creating light-drenched interiors with floor-to-ceiling picture windows overlooking the nearby Sutton Square Gardens, and views of the East River.

On the market via Christie’s International Real Estate, the architect’s home is set around a grand marble hallway, complete with a spiralling staircase designed by Pei, and capped by a geometric skylight in the style of his famous glass pyramid at Le Louvre.

The first floor salons, where the Pei’s entertained guests from the worlds of art and architecture, have 10-ft-high ceilings and soapstone fireplaces, also designed by Pei, while the upper floors house four bedrooms.

The sale of the Manhattan property coincides with Christie’s auction of the Pei’s extensive $25m art collection later this year. Read more on that.

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