The Stones Lived Here?
The Stones Lived Here?
Must SeeTop 10 Florida Condos For SaleIt has always been rumored that the Rolling Stones camped out in this residence during the early part of their career. Some people say that within these walls the Stones wrote Sympathy for the Devil and Paint it Black - obviously written during their devil fascination period, long before they became tame senior citizens.
Although no documentation to support the Stones rumors has been uncovered, so many believe it to be true, it probably is. Verbal histories spanning a generation usually are rooted in fact. What could be even more interesting about the townhouse is that the inventor of the huge balloon parade characters that float above the Macy’s Parade, Tony Sarg, owned the house in the 1930s. When we watch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, we marvel at the size of these towering balloons, but how many times does the question occur as to who actually invented the idea? We just never thought to ask. That information certainly adds an interesting twist to the home’s celebrity and presents a fun subject for cocktail party chatter! You get the Stones, giant balloons and Greenwich Village all in one package. Sounds like a bad LSD trip at an AARP rally.
Stunning from the street and equally stunning inside, the Anglo-Italianate brownstone was designed by architect Reuben R. Wood 156 years ago for Christian H. Lilienthal, a millionaire tobacco merchant. The ornate plaster crown moldings are original with unusually delicate detail. The original plaster ceiling medallions are equally detailed and the 9 marble fireplace mantels are artfully carved. The 4,930sf home has 5 bedrooms and 5 full baths. Original hardwood floors have been carefully maintained and the rooms are washed in daylight from the huge arched windows. Some ceilings reach over 12’ and a bank of skylights is quite dramatic.
Currently divided into 5 one-bedroom apartments with an annual rental income of $304,200, the listing states that the home can easily be brought back to an elegant single family home with room for an elevator. Two additional coveted features are an existing south-facing garden and the possibility of creating a roof deck.
Celebrity studded historic brownstone. Priced at $7.95m.
Source: www.sothebyshomes.com