A three-story brick building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side with a rich cultural and artistic history is on the market for $10.95 million. Located at 80 Forsyth Street, the 25-foot-wide property was originally constructed in 1874 and served as a synagogue for one of the earliest Eastern European Jewish communities in the neighborhood. It includes a mikvah, or ritual bath, on the lower level—now repurposed as a workspace and gallery.

The property has also been home to prominent Abstract Expressionist artists Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof, who used it as a residence and studio from the 1960s until their deaths in 2004 and 2011, respectively. Since 2013, the building has been owned by artist Dana Barnes and her husband, Dale Westhoff, a private investor, who purchased the space for $6.4 million amid competitive interest.

Barnes, noted for her large-scale fiber sculptures and wall hangings, and Westhoff were drawn to the building’s spaciousness—approximately 6,800 square feet—and historical character. The couple preserved many original features, including large casement windows, cast-iron columns, wood and concrete floors still marked by previous paint splatters, skylights, fireplaces, and the stone seating of the mikvah. The property also retains unique architectural elements such as wrought-iron Stars of David on the fire escape and pointed arch window forms.

The building offers two staircases but no elevator, two and a half bathrooms, two vintage kitchens, a laundry area, storage space, and two wood-burning fireplaces, one each on the lower and third levels. The top floor includes a bedroom and office space with views overlooking nearby Sara D. Roosevelt Park, while the upper mezzanine and pine-paneled walls, constructed by Resnick and Passlof, remain intact. Additionally, the property includes roughly 225 square feet of fenced outdoor space and approximately 10,000 square feet of transferable air rights, which could allow for expansion or redevelopment, according to Jonathan Hettinger of Sotheby’s International Realty, who is co-listing the property with Mark Amadei.

Barnes and Westhoff have used the space primarily as a studio and gallery to create and exhibit complex textiles and mixed-media works, as well as host gatherings. In recent years, however, the couple has been utilizing the building less frequently, citing their transition to an empty-nester lifestyle and Barnes’s growing focus on an atelier in Amsterdam. They also maintain a studio loft in Soho.

With annual property taxes around $24,075, the building’s combination of historic significance, generous space, and development potential presents appeal to a range of buyers. The couple expressed a sense of stewardship over the property, acknowledging the building’s continuing story beyond their ownership. “You don't really own a building like this,” Westhoff said, describing their custodial role. “We're just a stage of the next chapter.”