Condo of the Day: 85 Hudson Avenue

For some reason, you (or, we should say, we) don't hear a lot about this building at 85 Hudson Avenue. We pass it whenever we're driving home to Clinton Hill from Dumbo cuz it's right at the end of Front Street. The design mission of this building is a bit lost on us: The exterior looks like an attempt to be traditional, except in this area that would mean more of an industrial look. And then the interiors are basic white-box, sheetrock specials with the odd traditional flourish here or there. And while the cobblestones and old houses in the immediate area are very charming and the view of the Commodore's House sounds sweet, this also is quite a hike from the subway. Bottom line: We're not surprised the price on this 816-square-foot one bedrrom was recently cut from $639,000 to $599,000 and wouldn't be surprised to see it fall further before finding a buyer.
85 Hudson Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP

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I love this block. I feel like I'm in a time warp when I go there. The price is right at $599,000 despite the subway hike drawback, just because it's so close to dumbo. If it were actually in dumbo, it could easily fetch it's original price. Vinegar Hill is beautiful, but a lot of people aren't keen to the feeling of being so isolated. Oh yeah... and this block is movie filming central.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 12:10 PM

i don't know if this is priced right or not, but believe it or not, there are plenty of people who would be perfectly happy living in a place that looked exactly like this. the bathroom and kitchen are decent enough, and best of all, it will probably never need an ounce of work outside of a little paint. the countless hours of your time not spent fixing 100 year old plumbing and electrical, fixing cracks in your plaster, stripping your woodwork, redoing your old kitchen and bathrooms, etc. is a decent trade-off for not having tons of "details" everyone cherishes so dearly.

for the record, i chose the renovation route, but i don't think it's fair to look down at these "sheetrock specials". they look nice enough. and after spending all last weekend skim coating, i'm not going to turn my nose up at a little sheetrock...

Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 12:16 PM

what do you constitute as a hike to the subway? Its a 3 1/2 block walk to the F train. Its about an 8 minute walk tops. Having said that, I do agree that the exterior of the building is kind of strange. Not a fan.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 3:27 PM

I believe they call this building the Maritime. I saw this condo last year and wouldn't touch it for any amount. It sits in a desolate area that may be charming because of a few old world looking (but shuttered) businesses nearby but it also sits next to an enormous housing project and is a long walk to the subway.

Posted by: lemonlarry at January 11, 2007 4:20 PM

You call an area like that "desolate"? I'm always amazed when people refer to the few quaint and quiet areas of the city as desolate. I knew someone downtown who described Riverside Drive as desolate because there were no stores there. Vinegar Hill is mainly residential (at least at this point). A truly charming landmark district and whenever I've walked down that street in particular, it's struck me as one of the nicest in the area..

Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 4:44 PM

I can't write much about the building as I have never been inside it. But in terms of investment, Vinegar Hill is on the way up. Three other condo developments are coming up only a few blocks away, and DUMBO is taking off.
The subway is only a ten minute walk. Not far. If you have a car, its excellent for access to the bridges, BQE, and Flatbush Ave. And Vinegar Hill is a great place to live. That all being said, is $599,000 allot for an 816 sq. ft. condo? Yes. Is it allot for this neighborhood? A few years ago I would say, yes. Now...probably not. You will not lose your investment in this area.

Posted by: None at January 11, 2007 5:06 PM

Sorry, hit post too many times. :)

Posted by: None at January 11, 2007 5:18 PM

This is called Commodore's Court, and according to Corcoran's website is "sold out" - whatever. It is a nice little pocket neighborhood though. I live nearby and walk around there often.

Posted by: LD at January 11, 2007 5:50 PM

is an 8-9 minute walk to a subway really considered a hike? you guys a friggin lazy.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 7:41 PM

I live in CH and my wife and I walk over there all the time. Its a nice little neighborhood.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 8:59 AM

you live in crown heights and you walk to dumbo?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 9:11 AM

the outside looks very strange.

the inside looks nice though.

816sq ft and a balcony? not bad.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 10:03 AM

CH - can mean Cobble Hill, Crown Hgts or Clinton Hill, BH - Bklyn Hts or Boerum Hill - so wish people would stop the 2 letter thing.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 10:22 AM

I think it's still a little high. Same price for the same space in the J Condo with a better layout and more ammeneties (separate shower, W/D), although no balcony and on a lower floor.

Posted by: rascal at January 12, 2007 1:37 PM

This development is actually a couple years old so it really is sold out (this must be a resale). All the units were in contract when I originally started my last apartment quest, this unit is nothing special but there are some units with terraces on the top floors that have floorplans 2die4, and some units on the bottom with private yards.

The unit I did end up buying was new construction, and I can report firsthand that even with a "sheetrock special" you may have renovations to do, thanks to the shoddy workmanship that's standard nowadays.

I had leaks in my walls and under my sink from pipes that were punctured during installation, and many people in the building reported buckling floors, cabinet doors that fall off their hinges, showerheads that can be pulled out of the wall and the appearance of cracks in their walls. Of course, we have a developer to yell at and the volume of problems is probably less, but nothing is perfect.

Posted by: eeeck at January 12, 2007 1:56 PM

1:56, where did you end up buying? Like with anything, it all depends on the quality of the construction. I saw a unit in this building and the craftsmanship and materials were top-notch (yes, it sold out very quickly). There are certainly plenty of new buildings in this city with problems (one or two in DUMBO come to mind) but this appeared to be very well done..

Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 2:24 PM

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January 11, 2007

Condo of the Day: 85 Hudson Avenue

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