On the Market: Harlem Townhouse Tickles the Ivories

The brownstone at 9 West 123rd Street, with its rear garden, classic details, and proximity to Mt. Morris Park (or Marcus Garvey Park, if you prefer), is the kind of elegant home that makes you daydream about passing hot summer eves seated at a parlor-floor piano, entertaining the wife and kids while music wafts through an open window to the sidewalk below. And for the past 14 years, that's precisely what this 5,000-square-foot beauty has been set up to do. Owned by pianist and composer Robert DeGaetano, the Mt. Morris Park West home is now listed at $2.3 million, following a recent $200,000 pricechop. And in an age where brokers and sellers are trying some wacky tricks to get potential buyers through the door, here's a clever one: at the end of the month, DeGaetano will play a recital at the house for brokers and interested parties. Finally, this industry is getting a little culture! Right now, the top floor of the restored house is set up as a "nanny's home," which is being rented out for $2,200/month, though it can be delivered vacant. We're digging the gym in the cellar, if only because if it's out of sight, we won't feel guilty about not working out.
· Listing: 9 West 123rd Street [Elliman]