West Village townhouse fit for an art buff wants $11.5M

It’s been a long road for the townhouse at 230 West 10th Street, which just hit the market with an $11.5 million price tag. And by “long” we mean “this place hasn’t sold in a decade”—it first hit the market all the way back in 2007 (pre-recession, crucially) for $20 million.

It’s been on a bit of a pricing roller coaster since then: It got price chopped gradually before landing at $13.5 million in 2012; it went back up to $14.9 million in 2013, then down to $13.5 million, then up to $15 million, then down to $12.75 million, all in a matter of months. After trying again for $14.5 million, it’s now back with its current price tag. (The house has also been listed with just about every major brokerage in the city in the past 10 years—Charles Rutenberg has the listing currently.)

So what’s the story with the house itself? It was purchased in 1996 for just $950,000 by French newspaper owner Jean Lignel, who then hired architect Jeffrey Flanigan to carry out a gut renovation of the place, which dates back to the 19th century. Lignel is also a big-time art collector—his collection includes Harings and Warhols, some of which you’ll see in the listings photos—so unsurprisingly, the renovation is geared toward someone with that bent, with plenty of space on its enormous walls and high ceilings.

Other perks here include an elevator, garage, two terraces and a roof deck, a center courtyard, four bedrooms, and skylights, all of which is spread out over 6,600 square feet. Now to see how long it lasts at this price.

There’s no floorplan with the current listing, but here’s an older one:

• Listing: 230 West 10th Street [Charles Rutenberg]