Thursday, August 23, 2012

The charmingly shabby interiors of 104 E. 10th St.


I've mentioned this neo-classical townhouse at 104 E. 10th St. before ... where playwright, poet and performance artist Edgar Oliver once lived, as Jeremiah wrote at Vanishing New York here.

The house has been on the market this time around for more than three months, with an asking price of $3.9 million, per Streeteasy. (The price started at $6 million back in March 2011 before it disappeared from the listings.)

We didn't see interior photos of the house on our previous visits to the listings... At some point, the broker added some shots to Streeteasy ... and it looks kind of like I thought it might...









While I rather like the dilapidated, well-worn look and feel ... the house is certainly in for a makeover. Here's the listing:

Built in 1879, this magnificent, sun-drenched residence is a restoration enthusiast's dream project.

The building offers an unparalleled opportunity to design the home you've always wanted. Its current features include four floors, eight fireplaces, skylight, original moldings, a quaint south-facing garden, an English basement with a separate street entrance, plus a basement below. With additional air rights, this building is primed for vertical expansion, offering opportunities for a roof deck, duplex unit, and more.

This distinctive residence occupies a unique place in New York's history, having served as a community hub and boarding house for East Village artists since the early 1900s. A Landmarked building located on one of the city's finest blocks, it offers easy access to public transportation, as well as some of the city's best cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and universities.

I'm imagining the spirits of these East Village artists of days gone by congregating in that front room with the paint chips on the floor and the weed working its way inside the window... and wondering, What in the hell happened to the neighborhood.

Going back to Jeremiah's post on the building from last September:

Now I suppose some god-awful heiress will move in with her zombie husband and hollow-eyed children to fill the place with their flat-screen lives. This is how it goes.

18 comments:

pinhead said...

Just beautiful, inside and out, on one of my favorite blocks.

(Although I think the neon pastel green walls would have to go...)

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

This building IS charming! I love it! And I hope Jeremiah is wrong this time and it's not bought by a guy in finance with a wife in cupcakes and kids in Xbox.

Anonymous said...

um, can anyone lend me $4 mil? I kind of like it as is...

Anonymous said...

a home Bob Villa could love.

randall said...

That is a beaut.

glamma said...

what a magical place. who wouldn't want to live there among all those amazing spirits. glad it's protected, so it won't be too badly destroyed.

Her, Suzanne76 said...

that IS one of the best blocks....

Laura Goggin Photography said...

This is the kind of fixer-upper I love.

onemorefoldedsunset said...

I think the house looks beautiful & filled with spirits. Reminds me of one or two places I've lived in over the years. If I had the miraculous luck to live there, I'd touch it as lightly as possible.

Anonymous said...

Keep as is! You're right EV, I so see the old artists roaming in and out of here...

Julius Klein said...

Had many wonderful times w/ Edgar & Co in that nicely spooky house...

Anonymous said...

Hauntingly beautiful and exuding charm. Love it and I'm so glad to know these gems are still out there. Sad that many people would just look at that and want to gut it to make it a generic "luxury" apartment for yuppies or bros

Gojira said...

New paint, sand and seal the floors, scrape the gunk off the bathroom windows, maybe change the bathroom floor tiles, and you're done. And I want those bottles in the Green Room.

Anonymous said...

I agree with 7:49; it's perfect!

JAZ said...

That little comment in tbe Streeteasy ad highlighting the property's air rights scares the hell out of me.

Anonymous said...

ew.

Anonymous said...

3.9 mil for dilapidated mess.Now I've seen it all. Thanks to Bloomberg who made this once great city for all into a millionaires club.

Anonymous said...

what I wouldn't give to live there just the way it is...there is such richness of spirit in these old buildings. anybody want to go in on it with me? ha!