Exclusive | Inside the strange history of an unsellable NYC home tied to a mob-linked poker scandal now the stage of a blue-chip design showcase
A 189-year-old West Village townhouse that once housed the composer of “The Stars and Stripes Forever;” a Pulitzer-winning novelist; and Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner — all before it became the site of an alleged mob-run poker scandal — keeps marching on.In its latest chapter, the landmarked red-brick Georgian townhouse at 80 Washington Place is now the site of this year’s blue-chip Kips Bay Decorator Show House, which since 1973 has been known in the design and residential architecture worlds as the preeminent showcase for high-end interior designers, while raising more than $33 million for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.Twenty-two top designers including Carrier and Company, Peter Dunham, TORREY, Marmol Radziner, Ten Plus Three and Nicole Fisher Interiors are currently transforming the property into a modern, month-long creative dreamscape that opens to the public on Sept.16. “When we saw 80 Washington Place, we immediately saw the potential,” said Nazira Handal, director of special events and corporate partnerships at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.
“It’s a beautiful historic townhouse with so much character, but it also offers six levels, terraces, a wellness floor and a rooftop overlooking Washington Square Park, giving our designers an interesting range of spaces to work with.Most importantly, it felt like a house that could be completely reimagined, and we were excited to show visitors what our designers did with it.”The residence was most recently on the market for $21 million before it was taken off in June.
It’s slated to go back on the market once the showcase ends, listing broker Melissa Olson, of Douglas Elliman, told Gimme Shelter. “It’s currently a construction site, filled with designers running around and lots of plywood.But it’s going to be amazing,” Olson said, adding that when the home returns to market, it will be at a new, still-to-be-determined price. While the exact designs are currently under wraps...