Historic Home of Aaron Burr, Who Fatally Shot Alexander Hamilton, Is Officially Off the Market
On this day in history… A West Village townhouse known as the “Aaron Burr House” recently sold for $4.8 million, marking the latest change of ownership for the historic home. Built on land owned by Burr, there's a plaque outside the home that reads: “Aaron Burr House 1802,” likely demarcating the year the first owner purchased the land. Burr is perhaps best known for engaging in a pistol duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804. Hamilton shot first but just missed Burr, while the then–vice president of the United States shot and fatally wounded Hamilton. The home, which spans four floors and includes two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, retains much of its original detailing, including wide plank hardwood floors and door hardware. The house also includes an office and an impressive count of four fireplaces. The backyard even features a sprawling garden.
Greenwich Village was previously considered a hamlet, with two-block-long Cherry Lane running straight through Burr’s property. It was later renamed Commerce Street in the 1820s following a population explosion (though the residential thoroughfare still remains primarily quiet and calm today). The townhouse was built in 1830 by stonecutter Abraham Bogert, and the exterior of the building still features original iron railings and pineapple decorations denoting hospitality perched atop the wrought-iron newels flanking the brownstone stoop. Other notable homes on the street include a townhouse where Washington Irving supposedly penned his classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; another townhouse is the oldest known one in the West Village, built in 1799 and located just on the corner of the block.
