Bullet-ridden townhouse — an emblem of Upper West Side gentrification — asks $5M

An Upper West Side brownstone once riddled with bullet holes is now on the market asking $5 million. The property at 46 West 94th Street lies on a block that was the scene of frequent gang violence in the 1960s, but has since experienced total gentrification – indeed, the home now commands rents of $14,000.

Peggy and William Houlton — whose daughters now own the home — bought it in 1960 for $18,000 and then spent decades on sprucing up the property. “If a passerby looks closely at the front window …  he can see three bullet holes,” a 1972 article in the New York Times said.

The Corcoran Group’s Jane Beal and Rose Ann Nielsen have the listing for the 3,241-square-foot four-floor home, which has four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. The $4.995 million price tag is just under the median price for a townhouse in the area, according to StreetEasy data seen by the Times.

Over time, the house inspired the urban revival movement, according to the Times. In 1966, Peggy Houlton published the popular book “The Street of the Flower Boxes,” based on efforts to clean up the neighborhood, which in turn led to the Peabody-winning television film of the same name. [NYT]  – Hiten Samtani