Historic West Village townhouse with literary past wants $9.75M

Charming (and expensive) historic townhouses abound in the West Village. This Bleecker Street home that just listed for $9.75 million not only has the old-world details of similarly aged townhouses, but also has a literary past.

Author Donald E. Westlake and his wife, Abigail, called the Bleecker Street building home for decades. Westlake, who wrote more than 100 books, including The Mercenaries, died in 2009 at 75 years old.

The four-story house has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a terrace, space for an office, and a 1,000-square-foot ground-floor retail space that is currently renting for $32,000/month. Some of its interior details include high ceilings, hardwood floors, six wood-burning fireplaces, large windows, chandeliers, and French doors.

The Italianate-style townhouse, which sits in the Greenwich Village Historic District, was part of a row of seven houses built in 1860 by John D. Van Buren, according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s designation report. It was last renovated in 2010.

It’s located at 409 Bleecker Street, between Bank and West 11th streets, mere steps from Bleecker Playground and Abingdon Square. The nearest train is the 1 at Christopher Street.

Taxes are $2,838.92/month. Jane Beal of Corcoran has the listing.