To live in any home rumored to be a former pad of a famous actor, singer, writer, or politician is always alluring. It’s something to brag about, and the imagination can run wild with visions of what these celebrities did in the same place you’re living in. But they don’t become available every day.
However, a townhouse where one of the most popular rock and roll bands of all time once crashed and wrote several of their biggest hits has just come on the market. At 17 feet wide and once owned by renowned painter Tony Sarg, the townhouse is located at 54 West 9th Street in Greenwich Village. The current owner of the home, Stefan Peter, listed the home at $7.95 million.
The house, designed by acclaimed architect Reuben R. Wood, is over 150 years old and was originally owned by Christian H. Lilienthal, a wealthy tobacco merchant. Sarg, who owned the home in the 1930s, was an illustrator and puppeteer in addition to being a painter. He owes his much of his fame to being the creator of the giant inflatable figures used in the initial Macy’ Thanksgiving parade that marched down Broadway.
It isn’t clear exactly when the Stones lived there, but it is believed that they lived there in the late 1960s, right in the early stages of their long career. Though reported in previous news reports that the famed rock band lived there, it’s never been confirmed unconditionally to be true. They are rumored to have written several of their more popular songs in the townhouse, including “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Paint It Black”.
The five-story property is currently an investment property currently configured as five rental apartments with one bedroom and one bathroom apiece, but the listing agent reports that it could be easily modified back to a single-family residence, which was its original status.
The brownstone is nearly 5,000 square feet, many of its original details have been kept. It has nine fireplaces with white marble mantels and a small but lush garden that faces south. It also has such detailed appointments as elaborate plaster medallions and crown moldings. There are skylights, twelve-foot ceilings, and an elliptical stairway. A cast iron balcony sitting outside the huge windows of the second-floor parlor links the other row houses facing west. There is no garage, but there is potential for a rooftop deck.
Current owner Peter also owns two other townhouse properties, including a larger brownstone in Brooklyn. He declined to offer information about why he is selling the West 9th Street brownstone, nor did he reveal the price he paid when he bought it in 1997. He previously listed the property in 2009 and 2010 for prices ranging from $6 million to $7 million.
