The oldest single-family home in Manhattan—built in 1795—is set to hit the market Thursday for $8.9 million, Mansion Global has learned. Located on Stuyvesant Street in the East Village, the early Federal-style home was built for Nicholas William Stuyvesant, according to the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation. He was the great-great grandson of Peter Stuyvesant, one of the Dutch founders of the settlement of New Amsterdam, which grew into New York City. [Source: Mansion Global]
“Outside, it’s so plain, simple and understated,” said Monica Rittersporn of The Corcoran Group, who has the listing. “But inside, the scale is grand and beautiful. There’s nothing ostentatious about this house.”
The structure is part of the St. Mark’s Historic District, which includes two other buildings, including St. Mark’s Church, from the same era. The district received landmark status in 1969, and it remains a “picturesque” part of lower Manhattan.
“This is a house with a real soul,” Ms. Rittersporn said. “It feels like an early house. It’s in good condition and is quite livable, but it has not been modernized.”
The facade of the Federal-style home.
MW Studio for The Corcoran Group
Indeed, the layout is all original, except for the kitchen, she noted. “The kitchen would have been near the hearth in what is now the dining room,” Ms. Rittersporn explained. “The whole area was probably the kitchen in 1795.”
There are also “beautiful” floors and moldings, plus eight fireplaces—one in every room, the agent added. The bathrooms feature deep clawfoot tubs. Many people think of small, dark rooms when they imagine Federal-style homes, but this 5,550-square-foot home boasts tall ceilings and large rooms. “The scale and size of the rooms are very attractive,” Ms. Rittersporn said. “It’s a big house. There are five bedrooms and a giant art studio [on the top floor].” The art studio boasts a skylight and more than 16-foot ceilings, and there’s “a lovely landscaped garden” with fruit trees in the back, the agent added. The home last traded within the family in 2014, but it was unclear for how much. The current owners were not available for comment. [Source: Mansion Global]
