Disgraced fashion photographer Terry Richardson — accused of sexual assault, harassment and exploitation by multiple young models over the decades — has sold his home, “the Firehouse in Soho,” on Lafayette Street for about $5.5 million, sources tell Gimme Shelter.
The 20-foot-wide, 2,800-square-foot landmarked and renovated firehouse comes with a striking fire engine-red lacquered spiral staircase.
The three-story home was built in 1887 for FDNY Engine Company No. 55. The brick exterior features terracotta rosettes and a stone cornice, flanked by cast-iron pillars topped with none-too-subtle flame accents.
Inside, the residence features one bedroom and two bathrooms.
Richardson, known for his often “hyper-sexualized” ad campaigns for designers like Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Yves Saint Laurent, is the son of the late, successful — but troubled — fashion photographer Bob Richardson.
In 2017, Condé Nast axed the younger Richardson, following sexual assault and harassment accusations.
At the time, he said in a statement provided by a rep: “He is an artist who has been known for his sexually explicit work, so many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature, but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.”
Richardson bought this property for $3.33 million in 2009, according to city property records.
It was last on the market as a rental asking $25,000 a month, which dropped to $17,500 a month, back in 2019.
Richardson could not be reached at press time. The current sale, we hear, is an off-market deal via broker Nick Gavin of Compass, who declined comment.
Details include 13- to 15-foot-high beamed ceilings and a roof terrace with an outdoor shower.
Inside, the modern interior features wide-plank oak floors and an open living space including a chef’s kitchen.
A full-floor main bedroom suite boasts 14-foot beamed ceilings, and a spa-like bathroom with a clawfoot tub and a windowed steam shower, while the ground floor can serve as a studio, a garage, a commercial space or secondary entertaining area — with floor-to-ceiling custom built-in bookshelves, poured concrete floors and paneled double bay doors.
The firehouse was built by Napoleon LeBrun, who created 40 firehouses between 1889 and 1895, including this one, notes a former listing. It served the neighborhood for almost 100 years until 1982; the city kept it as “sleeping quarters” for its deputy fire chief, Thomas R. Langford.