Shop Founded by America’s First Female Antique Dealer Goes Up for Sale

The Connoisseur Building that’s located just a stone’s throw from Central Park in Manhattan – and which houses a famed antique shop – is listed for sale at $12.8 million.

The shop, called L’Antiquaire & The Connoisseur, was founded in 1935 by Countess Ruth Constantino, the first female antique dealer in the U.S. Today, the store is run by her daughter, Helen Constantino Fioratti. Now in her eighties, she decided it’s the right time to put the building on the market.

The Connoisseur Building at 36 East 74th Street, Manhattan, NY. | Courtesy: New York Residence Inc.

Known to art collectors and interior decorators worldwide, L’Antiquaire helped expand the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the National Gallery in Washington. During the Kennedy administration, many of the furniture pieces in the White House were acquired from L’Antiquaire.

Over the years, the shop has taken over most of the building except for a private residence on the top floor.

According to a press release from real estate broker New York Residence Inc., the buyer is not obligated to keep the antique store in place, as the building can be delivered vacant. However, local rules require that at least the ground floor continue to be used as a shop; the four floors above can be used for office or residential purposes.