A classic West Village townhouse, featuring several innovative outdoor spaces, hit the market Wednesday for $6.95 million. This is the home’s first time on the market since the 1960s.
The home’s current owner is Margery Boyar, who owned it with her late husband Bob, who died in 2017.
Built in 1853, the home is located on a cobblestone-lined block of 12th Street that’s dotted with houses from that era.
"It really has such original detail still left in the house, while in most of these houses it gets torn apart and ripped apart," said listing broker Matthew Pravda, of Leslie J. Garfield, the brokerage handling the sale. "It’s a really charming, quintessential West Village townhouse."
More:An 18th Century West Village Townhouse That’s a Blank Canvas
With a garden and a south-facing, fifth-floor terrace that has views of One World Trade Center, the 20-foot wide home is expansive for a townhouse of its era.
"What’s great about it is it’s five stories plus a cellar, which is a pretty big house relative to most of the houses in the village. Most of them are three- and four-story structures," Mr. Pravda said. "There really, potentially for the next buyer, could be six floors of living space."
The most recent owners, the Boyars, were notable in the theater world, having been the leading insurance brokers for Broadway and worked with shows like "Gypsy," "West Side Story" and "The Producers" and with stars that included Liza Minnelli, Bob Fosse and Henry Fonda. As such, Mr. Boyar is the only insurance professional to be featured in a caricature on the wall at Sardi’s, a famed restaurant in Manhattan’s Theater District.
More:Hedge Fund Executive Relists Manhattan Mansion for $37.5 Million
Their company R. A. Boyar, Inc., was bought by insurance company Marsh & McLennan in 2003. During the 1970s, Mr. Pravda said, the Boyars’ home was used for photo shoots by companies like Tiffany & Co.
The 3,400-square-foot house includes eight bedrooms, two bathrooms, a solarium and seven fireplaces. There are entrances on both the parlor floor and ground floors.
Given the length of time that’s passed since it was last sold, Mr. Pravda said the home will likely require an upgrade by the new owners.
"Ultimately a user will probably buy it and renovate it to their exact specifications," he said. "It needs, for the most part, everything. Plumbing needs to be redone, kitchens and bedrooms need to be redone, electrical probably could use an upgrade. But I do think someone could fall in love with all the original detail and try to preserve it."
The home’s location, between Greenwich Street and Washington Street, has seen some listing activity lately. Its next door neighbor is a 1850s townhouse and carriage house currently for sale for $18.5 million. (It was originally listed for $24.5 million last March.)
The listing was first reported by Curbed.