The Scariest Building In NY Houses A Bohemian Wonderland, Not Psychokiller Squatters

There's a building on Bowery that's been puzzling pedestrians, delivery boys, and real estate gurus for years, as it fails to keep up with the rapid deconstruction/reconstruction of the block. It's #190—maybe you've seen it, in all of its 6-story graffiti-marred glory, amidst dive-bar music venues, boutiques and hotels. But this would-be Halloween destination for students at Pace High School is actually a story-book gorgeous bohemian home for three New Yorkers: a family who scooped up the place in 1966 and now enjoy 72 rooms of a luxury (spaced over 35,000-square-feet!) most New York dwellers will never know—space to live. A mix of industrial-chic meets straight up artist-commune in each room, where rolling office chairs are lined up at the dining table, colorful glass bottles line the windowsill throwing light across the old school stove, and modern art is strategically placed on every wall. Indeed, artistic sensibilities are obvious—owner Jay Maisel once rented an entire floor to Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring used to scrawl on the exterior of the building with chalk. Flowers shoot from vases, lion head statues burst from cobalt blue walls, and the hallways look like Williamsburg sidewalk flea markets on a Saturday. The elevators? Cinematic. The view? Epic. So, it appears this mysterious building is more of a best kept secret than a place to avoid late at night, though the owners are still discovering new rooms (and that's as creepy as it is cool). While Maisel bought the building for $102,000 in 1966, New York Magazine, which has the full, incredible scoop, had realtors appraise the building at around $50 million. Now that the word's out, trick-or-treaters are going to be expecting full-sized candy bars come October 31.