Stunning 187-year-old West Village townhouse with a secret room seeks $25,000/month

It’s been over a decade since the charming Federal-style townhouse at 18 Commerce Street sold, but a new rental listing for the property lets eager eyes look in—and good news, the townhouse is every bit as dreamy as its exterior promises.

First thing’s first, though. The townhouse comes with one unusual, and prized, amenity in the West Village: private parking. A curb cut and automatic gate along Seventh Avenue lets drivers pull directly onto the property’s rear patio, overlooked by a second-floor tea porch. A hot tub hides in the backyard’s far corner, but that’s not the only thing the house hides. According to the listing, several feet below the patio a “unique underground room accessed by tunnel ... currently used as a dark room for film development” can be found.

The inside of the house is just as enchanting, with its five wood-burning fireplaces, wood-plank floors, and decorative moldings. The ground floor gives way to an open kitchen and dining room with wood-beamed ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, a farmhouse sink, and updated appliances.

The parlor floor has two more formal living areas—both with their own wood-burning fireplaces—as well as a sleeping den. The upper two floors are divided between four bedrooms, a lounge, and a den.

So what price does one pay for the stuff of West Village townhouse dreams? The property is on the rental market with Corcoran’s Blumstein team for $25,000 per month. The fantasy was nice while it lasted.

• Listing: 18 Commerce Street [Corcoran]
• For Rent in New York archives [Curbed]