The House of Death

Description

A historic 4-story Greek Revival brownstone in Greenwich Village, New York City, widely known in urban folklore as the ‘House of Death’. The house is said to have seen about 22 deaths in its lifespan.

Constructed, 1855

Built for industrial and banking executives, including philanthropist James Boorman Johnston, a founding member of the Metropolitan Underground Railroad and the Broadway Underground Railroad.

Converted, 1937

Converted from a single-family dwelling to 10 apartments.

Factoids

1987-The tragic fatal beating of 6-year-old Lisa Steinberg by her adoptive father, attorney Joel Steinberg. When police arrived, they also found a toddler tied to his playpen and covered in filth. He was arrested and charged with first-degree manslaughter.

1957-Writer Jan Bryant Bartell and her husband moved into an apartment in the house with her husband. In the seven-year stretch the Bartells lived in the apartment, Jan experienced a haunting phenomenon, grappling with sometimes unpleasant supernatural experiences during her time living in the Village. Eventually, the Bartells moved away and she wrote about her experience in her memoir, Spindrift: Spray from a Psychic Sea. The book was released in 1974, the same year Jan passed away. In addition to Jan’s experiences, paranormal investigators and other residents have claimed to see spirits such as a ghostly cat, a diaphanous woman in white, and even Twain’s ghost himself.

Related People & Organizations

Mark Twain,Author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) lived here from 1900 to 1901 and reported an unexplainable incident with a moving piece of kindling near the fireplace. A bronze plaque commemorates his stay. He is reported to have been seen on the first floor and near the staircase. In the 1930s, a mother and daughter claimed to have encountered the author sitting near a window where he stated, “My name is Clemens and I has a problem here I gotta settle.” He disappeared moments later.

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1970 - Mark Twain House, 14 West 10th Street

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37-24, 24th St, Suite 102, Long Island City, NY 11101