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152‑year‑old townhouse at 75 ½ Bedford Street in Manhattan’s West Village sold for $4.4 million, according to The Post. The 9.5‑foot‑wide, red‑brick home had been listed in early November for $4.19 million and found a buyer in under three weeks, a Swiss family that is building a portfolio of tiny homes worldwide. They paid more than $200,000 over asking.
The property, known as the Millay House, sits on a narrow plot that once served as a carriage entryway for 77 Bedford, the neighborhood’s oldest house. Its roughly 1,000 sq ft of interior space spans three stories, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a finished lower level and a rear garden. Original features—four wood‑burning fireplaces, oak floors, exposed beams—have been preserved, while past owners have added their own touches. In the 1920s a group of artists, including Cary Grant, John Barrymore and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, rented the house; Millay’s 1923–24 tenancy earned the home its nickname. She installed a skylight on the top floor, which became her writing retreat for “The Ballad of the Harp‑Weaver.”
The buyers, represented by Marko Arsic and Jason Lau of Corcoran, purchased through an LLC and remain anonymous. They made an offer sight‑unseen after seeing the listing in the media. The family, who describe themselves as “small home collectors,” already own one of Iceland’s smallest houses and are now looking for a design studio and architect to unlock the townhouse’s full potential.
The house’s narrow width—about 8½ ft—does not feel cramped. The seller’s agent, Cortnee Glasser of Sotheby’s International Realty, described the home as bright, light and European, though she declined to comment on the sale or confirm whether a bidding war pushed the price above asking.
The previous owner, Dr. Tandra Hammer, bought the property for $3.41 million in 2023 and used it as a pied‑a‑terre while her daughter lived there most of the year. Hammer’s mother‑daughter team, both real‑estate investors, had made upgrades such as closet improvements, electrical work and garden care before selling.
Overall, the sale of this slender West Village townhouse underscores the market’s appetite for historic, compact homes and the growing trend of international buyers seeking unique, small‑space properties in New York City.
