Wooden beams; exposed brick; clawfoot tubs; oddly turreted closets; a roof with two gables. Sounds like something out of a fairy tale, right? But 102 Bedford Street, which went on the market last week for $7.5 million, has an even more eclectic backstory than Hansel and Gretel (who would, incidentally, be right at home here). Constructed around 1830, builder-with-a-dream Clifford Reed Daily bought it up in 1925 and renovated it with the backing of financier Otto Kahn, according to a detailed history by Daytonian in Manhattan, adding additional space and character to attract artist tenants. The GVSHP recounts: "The 2 1/2 story building was raised to 5 stories, and given a sort of Tudor/Medieval/Swiss Chalet facade, including the twin peaked roofs, from which its name is derived." The opening party included a cameo by then-film star Mabel Normand, who stood atop a gable and ceremonially smashed a champagne bottle to christen the property.
And attract artists Twin Peaks did?it is said that Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Walt Disney, Cary Grant, and Miles Davis all crammed themselves into 102 Bedford's tiny studios, which each came with a wood-burning fireplace and oodles of quaint old-world details. The 4,400-square-foot building is now for sale as a whole; made up of nine co-op units?which were still occupied by creative types until recently?the new buyer could choose to combine them into a mega mansion-sized gingerbread house-slash-ski lodge fit for Rapunzel... or keep them separate and act as landlord. What would you do?
· Listing: 102 Bedford Street [Elliman via Streeteasy]
· The Quirky "Twin Peaks" -- 102 Bedford Street [Daytonian in Manhattan]
· My Favorite Things: West Village Edition [GVSHP]
· In Greenwich Village, a Songwriter's Garret [NYT]
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