Historic Harlem Townhouse With Speakeasy Lights Up the Market for $3.2M

A historic Harlem townhouse in the prized Sugar Hill District is available for $3,250,000.

The recently restored 22.5-foot-wide home at 850 St Nicholas Avenue was originally built in 1894.

Originally listed in September for $3,450,000, the home just got a slight price cut.

At 4,980 square feet, the four-bedroom New York City townhouse is filled with original details, including a wood-adorned foyer, 12-foot ceilings, striking crown moldings, and a wood-burning fireplace. The showstopping residence comes with a storied past, too.

Secret speakeasy

“This home—as well as some of the sister townhomes designed by the same architect on the block—had speakeasies,” says listing agent Suzanne Sunshine. “We don’t know exactly who frequented it or when it operated—but likely sometime between the late 1920s and 1940s.”

The only parts of the Prohibition-era bar that remain today are the bits of painted wallpaper and a long, wooden cupboard in the basement. A door from the garden level, with steps to the basement speakeasy, was recently removed in a renovation.

Renovated residence

Other additions made in the recent renovation include a ground-floor entertainment space with a media center, billiard table, and wet bar. On the very top floor, a rooftop garden awaits.

“There’s a self-irrigating, fully landscaped rooftop garden, where there are stunning 360-degree views,” says Sunshine. “There’s also a beautiful, garden-floor patio and a separate, ground-floor apartment unit with its own kitchen, bath, and private street entrance.”

Plus, the location of this historic Harlem residence is tough to top.

“The home is part of Harlem’s Sugar Hill Historic District, in the heart of Hamilton Heights,” Sunshine says. “It’s basically a landmarked enclave of Victorian mansions and architecturally significant buildings.”

Nearby attractions include the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Bono Trattoria, Sugar Hill Creamery, and many other popular Harlem destinations for live entertainment, jazz, and dining.

There’s also a significant local landmark not far from the townhouse.

“There are a number of gilded mansions nearby, including the newly restored James A. and Ruth M. Bailey House, of Barnum and Bailey Circus,” Sunshine says.

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