8. Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe shared an apartment on Hall Street
Clinton Hill has been home to many famous residents over the years, including the Notorious B.I.G., Letitia James, and Bowen Yang. Perhaps two of the most notable residents were Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, who shared an apartment at 160 Hall Street. The punk icon and her then-boyfriend photographer lived on the second floor in 1967, paying just $80 per month. The apartment dates back to 1901, featuring original wooden beams and pine floors, though much has been renovated. The townhouse went on the market in 2018 for $8,000 per month, 100 times more than what the couple paid.
Smith wrote of the apartment in her memoir Just Kids, “We had the entire second floor, with windows facing east and west, but its aggressively seedy condition was out of range of experience. Robert cut a deal with the landlord, agreeing to clean and paint it himself provided we pay only one month’s deposit, instead of the required two. The rent was eighty dollars a month. We paid one hundred and sixty dollars to move into 160 Hall Street. We regarded the symmetry as favorable.”