Trump's childhood home just sold for $1.4 million. How do other NYC presidential homes compare?
Donald Trump's childhood home has been through a real estate rollercoaster ride of late: The Jamaica Estates house first went on the market last July, the Times Ledger reported, and was listed for $1.65 million. The price dropped, and the owners decided to put the five-bedroom up for auction after the election, hoping the results would boost its worth.
But before that could happen, a mystery buyer swooped in and purchased the Tudor-style home at 85-15 Wareham Place. The New York Post has now identified that buyer as Michael Davis, who paid $1,390,500. Davis, the Post writes, will flip the property, selling it to the highest bidder at a later auction.
According to Hamptons.com, Davis looms large in real estate out east and is known for making the town of Sagaponack a major destination for buyers. Whether he'll be able to work the same kind of magic on the Jamaica Estates home remains to be seen until it returns to auction on January 17th.
Trump will be the eighth U.S. president to hail from New York state and only the second to come from the city (the other is Theodore Roosevelt), but many more resided here at one time or another. 6sqft has a round-up of several spots where presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama once hung their hats, and the homes' present-day value varies quite a bit.
At the more affordable end is the Manhattan Valley apartment where Obama lived as a Columbia University student. The humble two-bedroom last rented for $2,300 per month, according to StreetEasy. The listing features a portrait of the president as a young man, perhaps a reminder that whomever next sets foot in the prewar space could one day experience greatness.
Another intriguing presidential spot is the Chester A. Arthur house, a four-story brownstone on 123 Lexington Avenue, where according to the National Park Service, the 21st president lived for many years. In fact, writes Mental Floss, Arthur took his oath of office here after the assassination of his predecessor, James Garfield.
The ground floor of the building is today occupied by grocery store Kalustyan's, loved by New Yorkers for its vast selection of spices. Above, there are eight rental units; most recently, a one-bedroom rented for $2,475 per month.
At the more regal end of the spectrum is the gorgeous home where First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt moved in 1953, which the Wall Street Journal wrote about when it went on the market in 2015. The Lenox Hill mansion sold for $18 million, a price that doesn't surprise given its Gilded Age splendor (see the listing here.)
And perhaps one of the most interesting former residences of a president is not for sale—but you can visit it. Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace, a brownstone at 20 East 28th Street, is now a national historic site, and after a recent renovation is open for group tours. And in fact, Brick visited TR's childhood home—get a close look at its facade below.
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