Henson Townhouse What is referred to as the " Henson Townhouse " ( and less commonly , the " ' Muppet Mansion ' " ) is a 12 , 000 - square - foot , townhouse - style apartment building located at 117 East 69th Street in New York City . It was purchased by Jim Henson in 1977 for $ 600 , 000 from the New York State Pharmaceutical Association . The location became the New York headquarters for Henson Associates from 1978 until 2003 , when the company moved most operations to their Charlie Chaplin Studios location in Los Angeles and relocated a downsized New York office to Broadway . Home for several years to the Muppet Workshop , the townhouse was lavishly decorated with artistic furnishings and relics reflecting Jim Henson ' s career . Some of these modern day tapestries have been seen in " " and in the documentary " Henson ' s Place " . The building was often subject to tours given by office employees , which included a fact sheet detailing many facets of its inner recesses . Details from these sources have been used to augment this article . History . The house was built between 1928 and 1929 for Beekman Winthrop , the former Governor of Puerto Rico ; the architect was Julius Gaylor . In 1929 , the house contained over 20 rooms , and was used as a residence for only a decade before it sat empty for many years prior to being remodeled into offices and lecture rooms in 1951 . The only visible outdoor alterations made to this building were after Henson purchased the building - - the lily pad stained glass windows surrounding the front door . The Foyer . The Foyer contained a glass display case , where the display was changed to reflect the season , holiday , or current project of The Jim Henson Company . Above the door is the sign from the 1986 PBS documentary , " Henson ' s Place " . The Lobby . One entire wall in the front lobby of the building was covered in a mural painted in oil on canvas by Coulter Watt . It depicts a large number of Muppet characters created up to 1984 sitting in the house of The Muppet Theatre . A row of authentic theatre seats from the Helen Hayes Tappan Zee Playhouse in Nyack , New York , lined the front of the mural . After the townhouse was sold , the painting was moved to Henson offices in Los Angeles . The lobby ' s front desk was designed by Warren Hansen and built by Frank Pollaro . Inscribed in detail on the outside panels of the desk are additional wood carvings by Michael Frith . It contains 120 different types of veneers , and took three years to complete . The desk is now housed in the Henson office in Queens , New York . " The Great Hot Air Balloon Circus " is a sculpture created by John Henson and John Kahn , which began in the lobby at the base of the spiral staircase and continued up to the fourth floor . It consists of wire , wood , and metal , as well as PVC figures of the Muppets . This sculpture was temporarily on display between the first and second floors of the flagship World of Disney store on Fifth Avenue in New York City . The lobby ' s marble floor featured the company ' s original " ha ! " logo , inlaid in brass in the marble floor . A replica of the pediment over the entrance to the " Muppet * Vision 3D " theater hung above the doors leading to the Awards Room . The commemorative plaque from Jim Henson ' s 1991 unveiling of his star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame also hangs in the lobby . The Awards Room . Located on the first floor of the townhouse , the awards room houses only some of the countless awards that have been bestowed upon Jim Henson , the Muppets , and the Jim Henson Company . Included in this display are many of the awards received , including a sampling of Emmy , Grammy , George Foster Peabody , ACE , and Writers Guild of America awards .