Even without all the historic trappings, this one-bedroom on Grove Street in the West Village would be pretty special. Four glittery chandeliers, two fireplaces, tall, wood-framed windowsit's all very grand. (And grand it should be, considering the apartment is asking $8,000/month.) Cunningly spotted by 6sqft, the newly listed rental is on the second floor of mansion built in the 1830s, which was carved up into several units about four decades later. First, the house at 45 Grove served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Plus, before he assassinated Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth apparently visited a boardinghouse tenant there to convince him to join an anti-government movement. Oh, and poet Hart Crane was also a resident, "struggling to eke out a living, and the 1930 census showed the building filled with artistic types, like the Russian-born Zelda Dorfman, a 24-year-old theatrical manager." It's unclear how many theatrical managers could afford the rent these days, but we can hope.
· Elegant Village Rental Has Ties to the Underground Railroad and Lincoln's Assassin [6sqft]
· 45 Grove Street #2D [Kian Realty via StreetEasy]
· The Many Lives of a Village Dowager: 45 Grove Street [NYT]
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