‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring — not even the brokers.
Imagine a vast farm from 19th through 24th streets, between Eighth and Tenth avenues, in Manhattan. It once existed, and it was owned by “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (aka, ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) poet — and real estate mogul — Clement Clarke Moore.
Now, just in time for the holidays, a historic, turn-of-the-century Chelsea carriage house built on Moore’s land has hit the market for $10.99 million.
“Can you imagine a farm that big in the heart of New York City? Having it today would be the height of luxury, and a dream come true,” said listing broker Vickey Barron, of Compass, who grows her own herbs and vegetables at her summer home in Cape May, NJ. Barron shares the listing with her daughter, Pacey Barron, and Larissa Petrovic, also both of Compass.
The 25-foot-wide townhouse, at 313 W. 20th St., was built around 1900. Seventy-seven years earlier, Moore wrote the famous poem, ” ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house /
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”
Coincidentally, an original, handwritten copy of the poem is up for auction at Christie’s and could fetch around $500,000, according to reports.
Moore, who taught Hebrew and Greek literature at the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea, inherited the farm in 1813.
The current owners bought the townhouse last year for $10.7 million and had planned to renovate it before “personal circumstances prevented them from moving forward,” according to a source. It had been on the market for $15.8 million in 2019, and $13.8 million in 2020.
The three-story home is currently divided into two separate units — and it comes with a private garage, which is quite rare in the city.
Altogether, the townhouse features six bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms that make up the owner’s residence, and a top-floor, two-bedroom apartment with a separate entrance.
The owners’ residence has a private street-side entrance, and it also opens from that private garage into a foyer that leads to a great room with 16-foot-high ceilings, as well as a gas fireplace, built-ins and a skylight. Glass French doors open to a private garden. The floor also features an oversized chef’s kitchen.
A mezzanine level currently operates as a media room and a playroom.
The second floor boasts a main bedroom that comes with its own 575-square-foot private terrace, as well as an ensuite, windowed bath and an additional bedroom or study.
The third floor features an additional four bedrooms and original pine floors. In addition, there’s a basement cellar with a gym.
The top floor is currently the two-bedroom, one-bath rental — with an eat-in kitchen and a private roof terrace, as well as its own street-side entry. Details include charming exposed brick.
