Contemporary Artist Buys ‘Aaron Burr House’ for $4.8 Million

Contemporary American painter Walton Ford has purchased one of Manhattan’s oldest homes—the so-called "Aaron Burr House" built in 1830.

Mr. Ford bought the four-story brick townhouse in the West Village for $4.8 million, according to property records filed with the city on Friday. It’s part of a collection of streets that, like a time capsule of 1800s New York, is lined in Federal-style brick row houses.

This particular townhouse is named after the notorious third U.S. vice president—and central character in the historical Broadway hit "Hamilton"—who once owned the property underlying the house. He lived in a large estate just south of the area called Richmond Hill.

(Burr fired a fatal shot that killed his political rival Alexander Hamilton during a duel in 1804.)

The 2,200-square-foot home contains authentic 19th-century details like wide-plank hardwood floors, four fireplaces and iron railings, according to the listing with Bernice Leventhal, Sarah Thompson and Jake Kringdon of Corcoran. There’s also a private, brick-paved garden at the back of the home.

The home originally hit the market in 2016 for $5.75 million, according to listing records.

Mr. Ford is an American artist whose large, detailed paintings of plants and wildlife hang in the permanent collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art. His paintings are often compared to the meticulous illustrations of naturalists.

He’ll be able to make some serious updates to the landmarked home.

The previous owner of the green-shuttered property spent considerable time and money acquiring the permits and plans to renovate the townhouse, Ms. Leventhal told Mansion Global.

A lawyer for Mr. Ford did not immediately return requests for comment.

From Penta:Bonham’s to Auction Iconic Portrait by Egyptian Modernist Painter Mahmoud Said

While significant, the Aaron Burr house isn’t the oldest or even the most historic on the block. Another brick townhouse a few doors down dates to 1799 and another in neighborhood is where Washington Irving wrote "Sleepy Hollow," according to the listing agents.