The death of Nancy Kissinger at the age of 92 on August 20th marked the end of one of the most dazzling eras in New York high society. Alongside her husband Henry, the most powerful United States Secretary of State in history, they were the most sought-after hosts among the political, social, and economic aristocracy of recent decades.
For this, they needed a setting suitable for their position and intentions, and they found it in the River House building in Sutton Place, a refined and elegant neighborhood in Manhattan where affluent families began to settle in the 1920s due to the proliferation of historic mansions and high-end cooperative apartment buildings.
Built in Art Deco style between 1929 and 1932 on the ruins of an old cigarette factory, the River House became well-known among the elites because millionaires could dock their yachts next to the building until the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive highway was built in the late 1940s. Ironically, one of the sons of the former president who the road is named after lived in the building.
Nancy Kissinger, alongside Oscar de la Renta.Gtres
This address was very popular because the first five floors of one of the towers house the River Club, one of the places where the city's elite gathered, featuring indoor facilities such as a covered pool, two tennis courts, a ballroom, a restaurant, an oyster bar, and up to 26 suites for members and out-of-town guests.
The Kissingers moved in in 1978 to an eight-room duplex spanning floors 16 and 17 of the south tower with unbeatable views of the East River and the city's ever-awake urban skyline.
It consists of approximately 560 square meters of interior space and around 470 square meters of perimeter terraces with dining areas and a summer kitchen, a pergola covered in wisteria and flowering shrubs. Although the decor changed over the decades, Henry and Nancy Kissinger ultimately chose acclaimed interior designer Bunny Williams.
The River House building (right in the image) in New York.Getty
On the lower floor are the social and reception areas featuring a lobby with columns leading to a large foyer that opens into a dining room for twelve with silk-covered walls; the living room occupies one corner, with wide-plank oak flooring, a wood-burning fireplace, and large windows allowing natural light in; the library is clad in mahogany, with Versailles-style parquet floors and custom-built shelves; the kitchen is equipped with high-end appliances, has a breakfast nook, a laundry area, and a separate service area. Additionally, this floor includes a guest bathroom.
On the second floor is the master suite facing northeast and northwest with views of the East River, featuring a spacious walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom clad in pink-veined marble slabs; the remaining space houses three other bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms where the two children from the former marriage of the ex-Secretary of State with Anne Fleischer, Elizabeth (67) and David (65), usually stayed. Henry Kissinger passed away at 100 years old in November 2023.
But the most striking aspect was the list of celebrities whom the administrators rejected for being too well-known, as one of the priorities was to keep paparazzi at bay.
Among them were Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal; heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, who sued the community for allegedly not allowing her to purchase due to her relationship with African-American singer Bobby Short, and Joanne Crawford who, according to rumors of the time, being married to Alfred Nu Steele, CEO of Pepsi Cola, was unwelcome as at that time the board president was Robert Woodruff, CEO of Coca Cola, who as revenge had a huge neon sign installed next to the building.