Taylor Swift mentions the West Village apartment in a song from her album “Lover.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV; Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
A West Village apartment once rented by Taylor Swift is on the market for $45,000 a month.
“Cornelia Street,” the ninth track on Swift’s album “Lover,” references the three-story townhouse.
The home has its own indoor pool and multiple private terraces overlooking the Village.
Sarah Morris/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
“‘I rent a place on Cornelia Street,’ I say casually in the car,” Swift sings in the first verse — and it’s pretty literal. The pop superstar did rent 23 Cornelia Street for a few months between 2016 and 2017, according to People.
“Cornelia Street” is an emotional love song where Swift sings about the early days of a relationship — which many fans believe to be about Swift’s current boyfriend Joe Alwyn — and being unable to walk the titular street ever again if the romance were to end. The two have been dating for nearly three years — since “at least fall of 2016,” Insider previously reported.
Swift explained the song’s meaning during an August 23 appearance on Elvis Duran’s radio show, according to People.
“It’s about the things that took place and the memories that took place on that street […] all the nostalgia,” she said. “Sometimes we bond our memories to the places that they happen. I wrote it alone and it ended up being one of my favorite songs.”
Swift rented a home on the West Village street back in 2016. And — perhaps unsurprisingly, to anyone who has an idea about the singer’s real estate portfolio — the property is spectacular.
Keep reading for a closer look at 23 Cornelia Street and for more information about the song’s connection to it.
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The apartment is located in one of the most desirable and expensive parts of the city, about 15 minutes away from Midtown by subway and just a quarter-mile west of Washington Square Park.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
Curbed previously reported that Swift rented the three-story property for about $39,500 a month while one of her three Tribeca apartments was undergoing renovations. About one year later, it was sold for $11.5 million.
Though it’s advertised as a three-story property, the home also features a basement with an indoor pool and a gym, plus a spacious rooftop terrace. The home will be available for rent in January 2023.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
Built in 1870 as a carriage house, the home was later transformed into a luxurious 5,500-square-foot, single-family home with a drive-in garage perfect for celebrities looking to enter and exit while avoiding the prying eyes of the paparazzi.
“Drive right in, open a side door, and walk right into the guest suite on the first floor,” the listing reads.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
According to People, most of the windows in the property face the backyard, allowing Swift unbridled privacy when she lived in the apartment.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The primary bathroom features a marble bath with a glass-enclosed shower and skylight.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The extravagant home is fitted with double-height ceilings and three gas fireplaces. The second-floor living room also features a wood-burning fireplace with a marble hearth perfect for the chilly New York autumn days that Swift reportedly spent in the apartment.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The kitchen was recently renovated to feature an open-concept flow into the dining room, which overlooks the West Village.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The home also features hardwood floors throughout.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The pool is 5.5 feet deep. Behind the indoor pool, you’ll find a lounge area with another fireplace and an outdoor patio. Also located on the bottom floor is a gallery space, gym, and garden.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
It’s easy to see why the dreamy property would have inspired one of Swift’s love ballads.
Al Siedman/VHT for The Corcoran Group
The nearly 700-square-foot wrap-around terrace also has a barbecue and multiple seating areas.
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According to People, at the time Swift was renting it, 23 Cornelia Street was owned by David Aldea, a former executive at Soho House, a hotel chain and group of private members’ clubs.
“I’m just not a pop-culture guy, and I even said to someone, ‘I’m meeting a person named Taylor Swift who wants to rent my home,'” Aldea told Vulture in 2019.
“Now, mind you, I knew her songs because I had them on my running playlist. I just didn’t match the name to the song. I know, it’s silly,” he added.
And for the record, Aldea also said Swift was “an absolute delight to deal with” during the rental process and he was “so honored” she wrote a song about his former home.
“I put my heart and soul into building, designing, and decorating this house, and for somebody like Taylor to come along and see what I saw and love what I loved, love what I created, it was a total compliment and I will always be grateful to her for that,” he told Vulture. “And when I heard the song came out, I just thought to myself, ‘Wow, that is the most incredible sort of thank-you and nod that anyone could ever get.'”