161-year-old West Village townhouse seeks $23M after thoroughly modern makeover

The West Village is full of more than 100-year-old buildings that have since been transformed into modern, incredibly posh residences, and this particular home—located at 53 Downing Street, and asking a whopping $23 million—is no different.

It doesn’t have celebrity pedigree going for it, unlike some other renovated homes we’ve seen recently; a developer purchased the former manufacturing building, which dates back to 1857, as an investment property in 2015, and poured money into spiffing it up into, per the brokerbabble, a “showplace with superb finishes.”

CWB Architects was behind the redesign, which added swank perks like a private garage, four terraces and a garden, and a temperature-controlled wine room (and yes, there’s an elevator).

The first floor is home to a living room with 14-foot ceilings and a fireplace, and perhaps the home’s coolest feature: a year-round terrarium that looks like an incredibly chill place to hang out. On the second floor, there’s the dining room and kitchen (custom, of course); the third floor is dedicated to the master suite, with a marble-drenched bathroom, a sauna, two dressing rooms, and a terrace.

More bedrooms are on the floors above that, and the top floor is home to a library and two terraces.

“Every imaginable detail has been considered,” according to the listing, and it shows: The place is elegant, but understated; it doesn’t have a ton of personality, but a buyer could put their own stamp on the place. Compass’s Leonard Steinberg has the listing.

• Listing: 53 Downing Street [Compass]