Actor, comedian, and current Harlem condo denizen Neil Patrick Harris has told the world (via Twitter, that is) that's he's on the hunt for a townhouse in the same area. On Sunday, he tweeted "Looking to buy a brownstone in Harlem. Figured someone on Twitter might wanna sell. Any takers?" He got almost 20 responses, ranging from the trite, patently unhelpful ("DO THE HARLEM SHAKE") to straight-up propositions ("I've got one for sale on West 132nd Street in Harlem you may be interested in. #TrueStoryBro"). Maybe Neil's taking a cue from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who bought a Harlem townhouse for $2.895 million earlier this year. Harlem Gal had a few suggestions for the funnyman, but we decided to decided to check out what's on the market uptown for ourselves and give NPH some more options to choose from. Here now, from a fixer-upper to a grande dame with exposed brick, the five candidates we found:
1) 62 East 118th Street ($1,650,000)
This four-story townhouse between Park and Madison avenues is currently set up with an owner's duplex on the bottom two floors and two apartments to rent out on the top two floors. But those tenants are on month-to-month leases, and NPH could probably boot 'em out if he wanted take the whole thing to himself and do some renovations. Pros: bay windows, hardwood floors, a rear garden, and a pretty facade. Oh, and the price dropped by $150K in January after being on the market for six months. Cons: those pesky tenants.
2) 141 West 123rd Street ($2,200,000)
For a little extra cash (okay, a little for NPH, not for normal people), he could move into this renovated 19-foot-wide townhouse with dark wood detailing and wainscotting, exposed brick, tons of (okay, seven) fireplaces, and "19 custom Marvin prairie windows" (whatever those are). At this old-world wonder between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, chandeliers hang from the ceilings and century-old mirrors were kept intact. Sixteen of the window shutters are also over 100 years old. Legen... dary stuff, eh?
3) 517 East 118th Street ($799,000)
So... this is the least compelling option for ya, Neil, but we figured we'd throw it into the pool anyway, just for kicks. At 4,567 square feet on a "tree-lined, dead-end street," it's a modest price?and includes what the listing calls a "modest garage." That must be why one of the images is of the curb cut in the sidewalk? Anyway, seeing how there are no pictures of the interior except the brief mention of a fireplace as an amenity (brokerbabble: "it's waiting for your decorating touches"), we can imagine it's quite a wreck... but you'd be close to Target and Costco!
4) 12 West 120th Street ($2,300,000)
All right, we're back in a celebrity's price range. True, the decor is a bit stodgy?Barney Stinson definitely wouldn't live here... not enough black and chrome?but it's certainly charming. Located near Marcus Garvey Park between Fifth Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, this 5BR/3.5BA has inlaid hardwood floors, a private back garden, and its fair share of old-fashioned molding, dangly light fixtures, and other details. The staircase is pretty lovely, though, and we could see NPH enjoying that pool table after a night out with the guys on 125th Street.
5) 237 West 120th Street ($1,900,000)
Our last contender, this four-story townhouse has been on and off the market since mid-2011, but it just relisted in January with an extra $100K added to the price, so we're thinking some major renovations must have taken place because the whole place looks extra sleek. It's being marketed as a four-family investment property that comes with all the necessary permits squared away for leasing out. But seeing as how there are no current tenants, if NPH wanted he could just occupy the whole thing. Between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards, the "facades are as close to perfect as they can be" (or so says the brokerbabble). They do look pretty nice, though, so if Neil's looking for an honest-to-goodness brownstone, maybe this one's the winner.
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