Will 2018 be the year quirky and historic Hamilton Heights ‘Art House’ sells for $2.7M?
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Will 2018 be the year quirky and historic Hamilton Heights ‘Art House’ sells for $2.7M?

September 21, 2018

This unusual three-family townhouse at 532 West 148th Street in Hamilton Heights was purchased by Portuguese-born architect Luis Da Cruz in 2006 for $995,000 and thoroughly renovated as a canvas for the artist’s personal creative vision. Cruz restored the 1920 home’s carved wood stairways and railings, moldings, five fireplaces, beamed ceiling, and exposed brick walls, and added his signature art pieces to an eclectic, bohemian decor, calling the house Musée Maison (Museum House) and making it his studio and workshop. He also hosted art events during which all of the work was for sale and he would perform tricks on aerial silks suspended from the ceiling. The house itself has been on and off the market since 2007. In 2015 6sqft featured the artsy listing at $2.5 million and again after a broker change in 2017 asking $2.7M. Now, another broker switch and more conventional photos–but no change in price–herald the latest attempt to find a suitably visionary buyer.

The “Art House,” the latest listing tells us, hits the market just in time to host an art installation curated by owner. In addition to art-world cred, the four-story, four-bedroom home boasts modern interiors mixed with stunning original detail on a quiet tree-lined block. Filled with modern comfort and unique design, the house offers Victorian cherry wood paneling, five original fireplaces, and 14-foot beamed ceilings. A striking double staircase adds drama.

532 West 148th Street

A renovated kitchen boasts stainless steel appliances, a washer/dryer and a wine fridge in an haute-loft setting of steel cabinets and concrete worktops. A vast open-concept dining room is filled with light. According to a 2013 Daily News article, the resident artwork consists of “raw material culled from construction sites, street corners, junkyards and demolished homes in all five boroughs and lovingly turned into paintings, mobiles, furniture, chandeliers and candelabras.”

532 West 148th Street

The open floor plan continues upstairs in the large master bedroom and second bedroom. Previous listing images of a circus-like curtain barely concealing the bath and other notably offbeat features are absent from the newest pitch.

532 West 148th Street

There’s plenty of space on the roof for outdoor living and summertime entertaining.

532 West 148th Street

A one-bedroom garden apartment has access to the private backyard and a separate entrance. This space can be converted into a separate apartment for extra income, used as an artist’s studio or simply provide more space for a sprawling single-family home. The house has central heat and AC throughout.

[Listing: 532 West 148th Street by Tamara Marotta for Corcoran Group]

[At CityRealty]

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Images courtesy of Corcoran Group.

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All information furnished regarding property for sale, rental or financing is from sources deemed reliable, but no warranty or representation is made as to the accuracy thereof and same is submitted subject to errors, omissions, change of price, rental or other conditions, prior sale, lease or financing or withdrawal without notice. All dimensions are approximate. For exact dimensions, you must hire your own architect or engineer and for no listing shall the number of bedrooms listed be considered a legal conclusion.

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