Renters snag Obama’s former West Side pad

President Barack Obama’s former Columbia University crash pad is off the market after a young couple signed a one-year, $1,900-per-month lease. The one-bedroom apartment, a third-floor walk-up at 42 West 109th Street that Obama shared with a roommate during his junior year at Columbia, has a windowless home office and exposed brick walls. The unit was only on the market for two weeks, said Citi Habitats listing broker Dalila Bella, who told Crain’s that curiosity about the president’s former digs spurred a flurry of interest. [Crain’s]