As we mentioned the other day, the Greek Revival brownstone — now a single-family residence — at 64 E. Seventh St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue is getting some attention thanks to David Hajdu, a cultural historian, critic and educator.
He wrote about the circa-1840 building in a widely-shared piece in the Times. There's now a separate article about No. 64 at Places, the journal of public scholarship on the built environment.
Past lives include serving as the parsonage for St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, the newspaper Russky Golos, the Les Deux Megots coffeehouse, the Paradox (a macrobiotic restaurant where Yoko Ono once worked) and Books 'N Things.
Turns out the place is also for sale.
Bill Joy, a founder of Sun Microsystems, bought the townhouse in 2019. And, according to The Wall Street Journal, he put it up for sale last month. Asking price: $13.5 million.
Here's what you get via Corcoran, the broker:
Historic elegance meets modern sophistication in this magnificent, impeccably gut-renovated 25-foot wide, 5-story mansion ...More recently, the 7,500 square-foot jewel was meticulously restored and transformed into a prized single-family residence with 5 stories of stunning living space connected by stairs and an elevator, a full basement, and generous outdoor space with a parlor floor terrace, a third-floor balcony, remarkable rooftop terrace and a sunny south-facing garden.... The handsome brick building also boasts a planted forecourt, brownstone base, and exquisite cornice heightening curb appeal. Here you'll enjoy the ultimate in downtown luxury living, in one of NYC's most dynamic neighborhoods. Interiors are finely finished and tastefully designed, featuring striking elements throughout like gorgeous wood beamed ceilings, rich wood floors, oversized windows bathing rooms in floor-through natural light, warm exposed brick, 7 fireplaces, tasteful built-ins, and fabulous moldings and millwork.The ground floor, with its own front entrance, is an exceptional space that's beautiful and multifunctional. The front portion features a lounge with a television and ample seating, a wood-burning fireplace divides that space from the open dining area and a well-appointed chef's kitchen that overlooks the garden, perfect for hosting casual get-togethers and movie nights. A wall of glass with glass-paneled doors with screens brings the outdoors in and leads to a wonderful south-facing patio garden for lounging and alfresco dining.Up the inviting front stoop awaits the grand parlor level for more upscale entertaining. Formal living and dining rooms afford an ideal backdrop for the host and can remain open or privatized by pocket doors. The living room has a state-of-the-art projection TV hidden in the ceiling. A catering kitchen with dishwasher sits nearby for easy serving, and French doors from the dining room open to a lovely terrace with stairs to the garden.
And we still have two floors and the basement to go!
Back on Friday, Hajdu released The Parsonage, a recorded album about the history of 64 E. Seventh St. Hadju and a group of musicians will perform live on April 27 at the Museum of the City of New York.
Image via Corcoran
12 comments:
Bill Joy is the inventor of the programming language Java
What a treat to see the interior. Very unique.
The interior is gorgeous.
Not too shabby...shows some individual taste without completely eradicating the historical character.
$13.5 million to live there? A lot of people's immigrant grandparents or great-grandparents are laughing loudly from the great beyond.
Very peculiar taste. Clearly seems to have been bought and renovated with the idea of flipping at a high price, b/c it looks totally "staged" and not as if anyone has lived there since the guy bought it in 2019.
You'd have to love the décor as-is, b/c otherwise you'd be in it for another few million in appliances, finishes, etc.
PS: Those oval free-standing bathtubs are such a cliché at this point. And good luck getting into or out of one safely if you're over 50 years old.
Well, it's bronze/greens meets RH, at least on the lower floors...pretty standard for the past decade, but less depressing than the complete blankness and historical void of many renovated townhouses these days. I assume if you're spending $14m you have another $2-3m in the couch cushions to bring it into the next decade.
James Gosling was the inventor of Java, but he did so while working for Sun under Bill Joy.
I would not have expected Bill to have such good taste, the house is beautiful!
For a brief time in the early '90s - not sure if this was before or after Tokio 7 but I think before - the ground floor had a shop called Valyn which sold antiques & other collectibles and also doubled as a hair salon.
It goes without saying that none of the people the broker mentions in the history of the place could afford to have ever bought a luxury townhouse except for Yoko Ono.
Eh, if I had the money, I'd take it. Then I'd immediately remove the prison toilet and the ten pillows on the bed.
My brother lived across the street in a 5th floor walk-up at 63 East 7th in the early 1960s. I've sent him the link. His rent back then was under $100 a month!
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