Bill Cosby’s Upper East Side Townhouse Listed at $29 Million as Foreclosure Suit Moves Forward

Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille, have listed their long-held Upper East Side townhouse at 18 E. 71st St. for $29 million as a Manhattan foreclosure suit alleges the couple defaulted on $17.5 million in loans tied to the property.

The seven-story limestone-and-copper residence, known as the Luyster Mansion, quietly hit the market last Friday with Corcoran. The listing omits any reference to Cosby and his mounting legal and financial troubles; listing broker Adam Schneider declined to comment.

The 13,000-square-foot neo-French Classic manse sits steps from Central Park and features a Carrara marble vestibule, a center hall with 15-foot ceilings, a 500-square-foot primary parlor, 11 fireplaces, a mahogany-and-bronze elevator, a formal dining room that seats 30 and a 500-square-foot roof terrace. Interior details in the listing include hand-carved limestone façades, two-story copper mansards, vaulted skylights, herringbone parquet and a chef’s kitchen fitted with a restaurant-grade rotisserie oven that dates to the building’s earlier life as part of the Lycée Français.

Designed in 1899 by architect John Duncan, the townhouse stands among the East 71st Street architectural elite; a neighboring former mansion once owned by Jeffrey Epstein sold in 2021 for $51 million. Cosby purchased the home in 1987 for $6.2 million, reportedly as a surprise gift to his wife. Records show the purchase was initially structured through a lawyer, later transferred to Camille Cosby’s mother and ultimately placed in the Cosbys’ name.

The listing comes amid litigation in Manhattan Supreme Court that says the Cosbys stopped making mortgage payments in June 2024 and owe more than $300,000 in property taxes. First Foundation Bank has said it foreclosed on the property last year. In filings, the Cosbys have denied the bank’s claims.

The couple remain listed on the property deed. Court records and public filings show the house has been at the center of extended financial disputes: in 1990 the Cosbys accused a former attorney of embezzling millions related to their real estate affairs. The current listing, and the foreclosure filings, are the latest entries in decades of complex financial and legal matters tied to the family.

This is not the only Manhattan property now entangled in foreclosure proceedings involving Cosby. In December, CitiMortgage sued the Cosbys for defaulting on a $4.2 million loan tied to a separate Lenox Hill townhouse at 243 E. 61st St., purchased by Cosby in 1980. That four-story house listed for $7 million in April and was later reduced amid legal proceedings.

Cosby’s public reputation and finances have been shaped by criminal and civil litigation for several years. He was convicted in 2018 of sexual assault in Pennsylvania; the conviction was overturned in 2021 by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. More than 60 women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. A spokesperson for Cosby declined to comment on the East 71st Street foreclosure and the new listing.

The listing gives buyers a rare chance to own a historically significant townhouse in a prime Manhattan location. It also adds a new chapter to ongoing legal disputes that could affect the property’s sale process and title. Corcoran’s marketing materials describe the property’s interiors and architectural pedigree but do not reference the pending foreclosure litigation or the parties named in court filings.