$3.65M lavish Harlem townhouse is full of marble, mirrors, and chandeliers
Built in 1900, this lavishly restored townhouse at 148 West 119th Street is on one of Harlem‘s most desirable blocks in the Mount Morris Park Historic District. Constructed as part of one of the neighborhood’s first developments, the four-story Italianate brownstone has been bestowed with a renovation worthy of a decorator show house, with no expense or luxury spared (and lots of marble, mirrors and chandeliers). Two fully loaded terraces add outdoor living to mix, and details like central air, radiant floor heat and high-end appliances keep everything running smoothly. Bonus: there’s a studio apartment on the ground floor.
Used as a single family residence for much of its history, the home’s current owner added modern amenities and a sixteen-foot two-story extension in 2012. The result was a double-height space with a 26-foot wall of windows and a spacious private terrace just off the master bedroom.
Starting on the parlor level you’ll find the first of six original gas-ready fireplaces with intricate hand-carved wood floral embellishments and a marble face. A central wet bar with a wine fridge and ice maker sits opposite a powder room decorated in floor-to-ceiling amber onyx tiles. Floors throughout the home are made of select red oak strips, and wood panel moldings are mahogany. The main living room boasts a wood-burning fireplace; a large mirror above it doubles as a secret flat-screen television.
An impressive stairway with a hand-carved wood railing leads to the garden floor, where an enormous wall of windows fills a structural archway above French doors that open to a secluded garden. Out here you’ll find wood grain porcelain tile flooring, a fountain, planters and a privacy fence to make this a unique escape from the surrounding din of upper Manhattan.
A huge, marble-clad chef’s kitchen has a radiant floor heating system and an exhaustive list of Viking appliances. Also exhaustive: the sheer number of light fixtures that adorn the room’s ceiling.
On the second floor is the master bedroom featuring an original hand-carved marble fireplace and a terrace offering fantastic views of the manicured gardens on the blocks below as well as your own private garden.
On the the third floor are two more large bedrooms, all with ensuite baths. The listing points out  one bathroom’s custom inlaid skull-and-crossbones tiling, “ideal for a member of the household who has a light sense of humor and doesn’t mind a departure from the classical style of the rest of the home,” and that “there are a few small details left to be completed that are perfect for a buyer who wants to customize some more of the interior design themselves.”
[Listing: 148 West 119th Street by John McGuinness for Harlem Properties]
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Images courtesy of Harlem Properties.
