A piece of downtown New York music and art history is back on the Brooklyn rental market, and the price tag looks nothing like the one it carried in the late 1960s. The townhouse at 160 Hall Street in Clinton Hill is asking $17,500 per month, according to a listing reported by 6sqft.
The 1901 home carries a cultural pedigree that few Brooklyn rentals can match. It was once home to punk legend Patti Smith and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, the pair at the center of Smith’s memoir “Just Kids.” According to 6sqft, the two made their first home together on one floor of the building in 1967, paying $80 a month. At today’s ask, the whole house rents for more than 200 times that figure, though it now covers an entire townhouse rather than a single floor.
The listing is not new to the market. 6sqft previously featured the rental in 2018, when the asking rent was $8,000 per month. The current ask is more than double that earlier price, a jump that underscores how far demand for high-end Brooklyn townhouse rentals has climbed in the years since.
The listing is held by Thomas Martin of Brooklyn Properties. It pitches the house as a way to try townhouse living without buying one, with the full range of amenities included.
While the original exterior has been preserved, the interiors have undergone a recent full renovation with a warm, contemporary design. Several period details remain, including pine floors, exposed oak beams, painted brick and wood-latticed windows. Modern systems have been added alongside them: central air, zoned heat, a fireplace, a dishwasher and a washer/dryer.
The main living floor flows from a living room into an open kitchen and dining area. Large glass doors at the back open onto a private backyard. The top two floors hold three bedrooms and three full baths. The topmost level is given over to a primary suite with a marble-clad bath, which includes a soaking tub and a walk-in steam and rain shower.
The house also offers roof access with views of both Manhattan and Brooklyn. A finished lower level provides flexible space that could serve as a home office, gym or recreation room.
For renters weighing the premium, the pitch is part amenity, part provenance. Clinton Hill, a historic neighborhood on the city’s cultural map, has changed considerably since Smith and Mapplethorpe’s days there, and so has the house, which 6sqft describes as hardly recognizable from its edgy artist days. What remains is a landmark-adjacent address with a story, now priced for a very different kind of tenant than the struggling young artists who first made it famous.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Patti Smith Clinton Hill townhouse rent?
The townhouse at 160 Hall Street in Clinton Hill is listed at $17,500 per month. When 6sqft featured it in 2018, the asking rent was $8,000 per month.
Where is Patti Smith’s former home in Brooklyn?
Patti Smith’s former home is the 1901 townhouse at 160 Hall Street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe rented one floor of the building in 1967.
How much did Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe pay for their apartment?
Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe paid $80 a month for one floor of the building in 1967. The article notes this was when they made their first home together there.
How many bedrooms and bathrooms does the 160 Hall Street townhouse have?
The house has three bedrooms and three full baths on the top two floors, plus a primary suite with a marble-clad bath. A finished lower level provides flexible space for uses such as an office, gym, or recreation room.
Who is listing the Clinton Hill townhouse for rent?
The listing is held by Thomas Martin of Brooklyn Properties. It is advertised as a way to experience townhouse living without buying one.
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