Cartier has finally reopened their Robert W. Gibson designed Neo-Renaissance mansion, which dates all the way back to 1904. After a two and a half year renovation the mansion has been born a new. The extremely talented French-born architect Thierry Despont, who had designed Bill and Melinda Gates home as well as revitalizing the Statue of Liberty, was put in charge of refurbishing the grand mansion back to it’s illustrious long-forgotten form.
The five story, 44,000 square foot mansion (originally 20,000 square feet and spanned across only two stories) has a warm and intimate feel that you’re aware of the second you enter the Fifth Avenue or the 52nd Street entrance. Another interesting addition to the mansion is a new lacquered panel portraying three gold leaf panthers sipping from a river, which attracts guests into the luxurious foyer.
A classic light oak grand staircase leads you upstairs with each room showcasing its own unique sense of style and ingenuity. The climax of the second floor, or even possibly the whole mansion, is the Princess Grace of Monaco room: a fascinating and glamorous feminine spot housing Cartier’s finest engagement rings, faint yellow taffeta silk curtains, and beautiful paintings of the Princess Grace herself. The second floor of the mansion also pays tribute to Gloria Swanson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Morton & Mae Plant. When you get to the third floor you will be surrounded by one of a kind timepieces, which is just what the third floor’s all about. The contemporary “Red Room” on the fourth floor is dedicated to accessories & perfume. With the top floor featuring a terrace that gives you a birds eye view of Fifth Avenue and is also an ideal spot for entertaining.
Despont also revived many of the mansions original furnishings and tirelessly worked with craftsmen in France to construct bespoke pieces, which even include chandeliers that awaken Parisian styles from the 18th and 19th centuries. Despont said “The Cartier Mansion is an icon. It’s a very modern store with state-of-the-art facilities, but it still has the feeling that the Mansion was always there and it’s magnificent.”
