New York City's narrowest apartment, measuring just under nine feet wide, has become the subject of intense scrutiny after it emerged that the three-story property has been put on the market for $5 million.
It all started when luxury real estate agent and YouTube star Erik Conover posted a video to TikTok under the handle erikconover, taking viewers on a tour inside the apartment. The clip can be viewed here.
Officially located at 75 1/2 Bedford Street, between Commerce and Morton streets and off Seventh Avenue, the property is also known as Millay House, having once been home to Pulitzer Prize winning author Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Millay wasn't the only notable former resident, with actors Cary Grant and John Barrymore among those to take up lodgings there while working at the nearby Cherry Lane Theater in the 1920s.
It was constructed in 1873, during the smallpox epidemic, on what was previously the carriage entranceway for a set of stables that existed between 75 and 77 Bedford Street. According to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, it also represents the narrowest townhouse in the city, measuring 8 feet and 7 inches (2.62 meters) wide inside.
Conover's tour inside revealed a luxurious, if not cozy, interior, complete with three wood-burning fireplaces, a "gourmet" kitchen, claw foot bathtub and an impressive skylight. It sparked plenty in the way of discussion too, racking up more than 2 million views in the space of a few short days.
Unfortunately, despite the provenance and fancy fixtures and fittings, for many commenting on the video, it was the property's price that was the main talking point, with many viewing it as emblematic of the sky-rocketing real estate prices being witnessed in New York.
@erikconover could you live in this apartment? #nyc #apartmenttour #newyorkcity #newyork #apartment
♬ Sunny Day - Ted Fresco
"5 million what a joke," Braxton 29 commented. "He's obviously joking about the 5 mill," Nino wrote, with Conover quick to reply: "Wish I was."
Gina Holloway Henley claimed: "For 5 million, I could buy a 10,000 sq ft on 10,000 acres in Tennessee. The gorgeous view of the mountains is free."
User2286288749246 lamented: "We have no hope in the future of buying a house anywhere" while Jarod Angehr commented: "This wouldn't even cost you $100k in Houston."
User3104757438360 added: "Nothing about New York is worth spending 5 million to live there, especially in a glorified cardboard box."
Newsweek has contacted Conover for comment.
With average property prices of $646,000, New York is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world. The most expensive is thought to be The Pinnacle Penthouse, perched atop the iconic Woolworth Building, which is worth an estimated $79 million.
The demand for property in the city was showcased further in a recent viral video which chronicled the insane queue that formed to view just one New York apartment.
