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200-Year-Old Manhattan Townhouse on Market For First Time Since 1995

The landmarked home has three apartments and a basement that could be used as an office

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A Manhattan landmark could be yours for $7.75 million.

Built in 1816, the four-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse in SoHo was listed on Wednesday by Ed Freiberg, Jon Cella and Zachary Szwed of Compass. Behind the wrought-iron fencing, immaculate brick facade and arched doorway, the townhouse offers a historic feel with all the modern amenities, according to Mr. Freiberg.

"It almost has a Victorian feel to it," he said. "When you’re in there, it’s like you’re transported from New York City."

The owners, Bob Coulter and Elise Kanda, "brought the home down to the studs," according to Mr. Freiberg, who has been working with the couple as a rental broker for 10 years. "They brought back the original feel of the place … but it’s been fully modernized."

The three-story home on Sullivan Street is 21-feet wide, and could serve as single-family home or a three-family investment property, Mr. Freiberg said.  There are currently tenants living on the second and third floors, which each feature one-bedroom apartments with soaking tubs and two working fireplaces. According to the listing, the units could be delivered vacant. The home also has a low tax rate of $814 a month for undetermined reasons.

The owner’s apartment takes up the ground floor and has a lower level that leads out onto a garden, the broker said. The main living area is very open, with a great room that leads into a modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances and ample cabinet space. The master bedroom is in the back, and also leads out on the garden.

The basement level has a stone floor, a music editing suite and an additional bedroom. It’s currently used as a den and office, Mr. Freiberg said, but because it has a separate entrance through the garden, it could have commercial use as a professional office.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission elevated the home’s official status in 2016, when it was named a city landmark. At the time, the commission called it "a fine example of the Federal style of architecture" and a "reminder of the rich multi-cultural heritage of the South Village."

But the owners, who bought the home in 1995 for $390,000, were nonplussed, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal in 2016. Despite their dedication to the 200-year-old home, they were against the new moniker because it would put limits on the work they can do there.

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"We love landmarks, just not for us," Ms. Kanda said in the article. "It is a great intrusion."

Originally the home of a mason, David Bogert, a third story and addition were added in the 1850s. During his renovation, Mr. Coulter found several pairs of leather shoes under the floorboards; he told the WSJ it was once common practice to promote good luck or to ward off evil.

The home is also in a "fantastic area," according to Mr. Coulter. "It’s almost silent inside, but you can step outside the front door and you’re right downtown." The couple is now moving for personal reasons.

Although a new owner may want to convert the home to a single-family abode, Mr. Freiberg pointed out that the hard work has already been done.

"Whoever buys it will be getting someone else’s blood, sweat and tears—and money," he said.