The "Gates" look-alike turned out to be a townhouse (mahogany garage door at right) that was the focus of so much buzz (by us included) you could barely call it hidden in plain sight. It's 13 Leroy St., west of Bleecker?the former home of Irving Plaza founder and former NYC public advocate candidate Andrew Rasiej as well as the one-time crash pad of Hitch star Will Smith, sold last April for just under $9 million. Neighbors remember Rasiej's gut reno job "lasting a good year+." Popular with partiers and lovers of innovative fish ponds, the place also evoked this comment: "Who ever lives here must be pretty loaded, and own places elsewhere. They've only been around for a few weeks since I moved in around August. How do I know this? Well, the security guard who sleeps in his car outside all night is a dead give away -- no joke." We'll try to come up with a less surveilled facade next week, friends.
· Celebrity Real Estate Wrap: Leo's Blue [Curbed]
· House Proud: Town House Invites the Outside In [NYT]
· Rasiej Townhouse, New York, NY [Turett Collaborative Architects]
· Curbed BuildingSpotter: Gates Double Take in 'WeVil' [Curbed]
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