Originally the site of a War of 1812 fort, the town known as Hallet’s Cove was renamed Astoria in 1939 after the USA’s then richest man, John Jacob Astor, in order to persuade him to invest in the area. He invested a token $500 (worth about $17,000 today) and never visited, but the town boomed without him, with economic growth spurred by German immigrants who made it a center of furniture and cabinet making. Incorporated into New York City in 1898, Astoria remained a center of industry while nurturing a new form of art: the motion pictures. Astoria hosted some of the biggest players of the silent film era, with Paramount Pictures, W.C. Fields, and the Marx Brothers shooting features at Kaufman Astoria Studios, which still stands today and holds a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Nicknamed “Actoria” because so many of them call it home and “The People’s Republic of Astoria” for its socialist politics, the neighborhood encapsulates the avant-garde creative spirit of New York City.
No one home captures that spirit more completely than this vibrant floral masterpiece that has just been listed for $3 million. The candy-colored three-family residence might be the wildest home ever featured on HGTV’s Zillow Gone Wild. Tucked behind a whimsical gate with colorful flowers, the striking red brick home offers six bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a host of unique furnishings that are set to be sold with the house.
