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Greenwich Street Townhouse Returns for Just $19.5 Million

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The initial ad for 452 Greenwich Street emphasized its modern aspects: 3,000-bottle wine cellar, media room, and the fact that it has been used as a set for Target commercials. Fun things all, but not fun enough to sell the place for the owner's hoped-for $24.5 million. Next tactic: go historical! The listing has switched brokers over to Brown Harris Stevens, where Paula Del Nunzio has given it her patented time-machine treatment (plus a few fresh listing photos). Oh, and a new, easier-to-digest price of $19.5 million.

Positioned on a 25' x 60' lot on the southwest corner of Desbrosses and Greenwich Street, 452 Greenwich (aka 21 Desbrosses Street) was originally built in 1819 as a two and a half story building by Alexander Thompson, occupied by Scottish settler Archibald Sommerville. The house was raised to a four-story residence in 1852 by the building's second owner, William B. Howenstine, in a Federal style with numerous brownstone additions. Later in 1903, the third owner, New York County Sherriff William F. Grell, would add a restaurant to the ground floor and use the upper levels as a residence.
Nearly 200 years later, this residence has been transformed into a state-of-the-art single-family home made unique by several uncommon characteristics, most notably a 25 foot width with a corner position facing north, a single-car garage with legal curb cut, and an extraordinary rooftop garden providing an urban oasis with open north Tribeca views.

Here's the floorplan from the previous listing:

· Listing: 452 Greenwich Street [BHS via StreetEasy]
· $24.5M Tribeca Townhouse Proving a Sound Investment [Curbed]