When 24-year-old television producer Calista Hill unlocked the front door to her apartment inside a newly restored 1850 brownstone, she expected weeks of shifting boxes and setting up furniture. Instead, she found herself walking hollow hallways in total silence, the solitary occupant of an eight-unit historic property.Hill detailed her experience of moving into the empty 175-year-old building in an interview with PEOPLE, explaining how a chance encounter with a property investor landed her the sole rental flat in a building otherwise staged for sale.“I was only living in the building alone for a couple weeks before my roommate moved in. Now it’s the two of us!” Hill tells PEOPLE. “For that reason, I wasn’t too worried being alone, but in an old building like this, you definitely hear creaks and noises throughout the night. I had my spooks here and there.”
An accidental tenancy in a empty block
The arrangement came about after Hill’s flatmate attended an open house where all eight units inside the Victorian-era building were being marketed to prospective buyers. The pair initiated a conversation with an investor who had been considering purchasing one of the flats as a rental asset.“We gave her our contact information, and she reached out the next day to discuss renting the unit to us,” Hill tells PEOPLE, adding: “We are renters and do not own the building.”The pair are currently the only tenants residing in the building, while the remaining seven flats sit on the open market. The property was previously held by a single owner who passed away several years ago, after which developers undertook an extensive restoration project to divide the historic structure into eight condominium units.Because they moved in before other units were sold, Hill notes that their flat has ended up serving as a live-in trial for the building’s infrastructure.“Since we were the first tenants, our apartment has essentially been the test run, helping identify any final adjustments needed before more residents move in,” she says.
Historic woodwork and missing ghosts
After Hill posted videos of her quiet living situation on TikTok, social media users expressed surprise at how an occupied-looking brownstone facade housed nearly empty interiors, with many speculating about paranormal activity in a structure nearing two centuries of age.Hill dismissed the supernatural concerns, attributing the ambient sounds to settling timber and historic architecture rather than ghosts.“This brownstone was previously owned by a single owner who passed away a few years ago,” she explains to PEOPLE. “Afterward, the building underwent a careful renovation under strict historic preservation guidelines. Many of the original details including the fireplaces, woodworking, ornate tile work, and molding were preserved, which is one of my favorite things about living here.”The empty property will not stay silent for much longer. As prospective buyers tour the vacant flats daily, Hill says the building is preparing to welcome its next permanent residents.“The renovations were only recently completed, which is why most of the units are still vacant and on the market,” she says. “We’ve had prospective buyers touring the building, and we actually met one couple who should be moving in within the next couple of months.”For now, Hill continues to enjoy the quiet halls and original 19th-century architecture before the rest of the block fills up.“I’ve only been here for a month so far, so no ghost encounters yet!” Hill tells PEOPLE. “But it’s much less eerie than people may assume. It’s honestly just beautiful. I could stand in the lobby and stare at the carved wooden staircase for hours. I have nothing but love for this building.”
From 19th-century luxury to viral curiosity
Brownstone townhouses, characterized by their distinct reddish-brown sandstone facades mined heavily in Connecticut and New Jersey during the mid-to-late 1800s, were originally constructed as single-family urban mansions for upper-class families. Over the decades, many of these multi-storey properties were partitioned into individual flats or fell into disrepair. Restoring a mid-19th-century brownstone requires navigating strict municipal preservation laws, which mandate that original architectural elements—such as hand-carved mahogany banisters, plaster ceiling medallions, and marble fireplace mantels—be restored rather than replaced.When Hill began sharing tours of her vast, empty lobby and hollow corridors online, the videos quickly attracted millions of views across social media. Commenters marvelled at the rare luxury of total privacy in a densely populated city, with many comparing her solitary lease to living inside a private museum. Others joked that navigating a 175-year-old building alone at night felt like the opening scene of a psychological thriller. Despite the online intrigue, Hill maintained that the eerie atmosphere was far outweighed by the rare chance to experience a piece of architectural history in complete isolation.
