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February 12, 2007

House of the Day: Crown Heights Grand Dame

house Readers know that one of our pet peeves is the omission of addresses from real estate listings; that omission is particularly galling when a broker fails to respond to an email request for an address. You'd think the free publicity would be enough. Not one Brooklyn Heights Real Estate broker. The radio silence and the lack of interior photos make us wonder whether this "Grand Dame" across from the Brooklyn Children's Museum in Crown Heights is not an exclusive. (That, and the fact that the broker thinks it's located in Bedford Stuyvesant.) Regardless, this baby looks awfully charming from the outside, though the listing does disclose that it's in need of "total" restoration. Given that fact and the square footage of 3,872, we'd say that the asking price of $1,500,000 is rather aggressive. Thoughts? Update: We know now that the address is 875 St. Marks Avenue and have been sent a few photos of the interior which are posted above and on the jump.
Grand Dame [Brooklyn Heights RE] GMAP

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I know this is off topic (sort of), but did anyone get to OH on East 17th Street (last Tuesday's HOTD)???

Posted by: jdhs 91 at February 12, 2007 1:55 PM

We saw this house in an open house I think a little more than a year ago. They were asking $750,000. If nothing has changed inside since we saw it, it is in sad shape indeed. This was once an historic, museum quality house, bedecked with an enormous cathedral style leaded glass window lighting the center stair. While impressive details remain, most are are a pathetic state of disrepair. That window I described above would have to be removed for months to a studio where it could be restored. Because the enormous house almost completely fills the lot, the 'garden' is extremely small. Evidence of structural damage in the basement is particularly disturbing. A complete upgrade of the plumbing and electric would be the easy part.

I recognized the house as a good value a year or two ago at $750K, but we didn't want to take on the project.

Still, if you got the bucks, and want to impress, go for it. My guess is that when the house changes hands this time, whoever gets it will just sell off the mantels, leaded glass, oak panelling etc. and screw up some sheetrock.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 1:58 PM

I should add that I may have gotten the wrong impression about the house -because they took no effort to clean up at all. We saw rooms with huge piles of dirty laundry that actually stank, and the whole house was filthy and cluttered - but I don't think so. It didn't show well at all.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 2:03 PM

Sorry, one more thing: the address is 875 St.Marks Ave.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 2:12 PM

I'm pretty sure this is at the corner of Kingston and St. Marks. I have friends who live two doors down from this building and their house is amazing, I know I've always admired this house as I've passed by it. Hopefully it still retains most of its detail. Not 100% on what our friends paid but it was below a million about a year ago. Also, I have a limestone on sterling place 700 sq ft smaller and we paid 716,000 a little over a year ago. So yeah I guess 1.5 mil is aggressive but who knows what this place is like, the houses in this area can be stunning.

Posted by: chris at February 12, 2007 2:14 PM

Hal, if this is the same house that Flateau had listed over a year ago, I saw it too. You didn't get the wrong impression. The structural work in the basement was even overwhelming for my husband, a structural engineer. While it was the most spectacular house we saw, it broke my heart that it was too much work for us to take on...mostly because of the size. Also, there was no way to split this beauty up into apartments without destroying the character. So, did someone buy it and flip it?

Posted by: yente at February 12, 2007 2:16 PM

$1.5 million for a complete fixer-upper in Crown Heights, huh? Hopefully, they'll give out bong hits at the open house and let everyone in on the party.

Posted by: Brooklyn Boy at February 12, 2007 2:16 PM

Yes yente, that's the house. My guess is it's flipping.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 2:27 PM

This was the same house that Flateau had listed last year....there was a very serous mold problem in the basement on top of all of the other problems posted above.....
Amazing house, with amazing potential, but the future buyer will need to spend an amazing amount of money to correct /restore everything.

Posted by: Anonymous at February 12, 2007 2:28 PM

they paid $650K 11 months ago...i'll smoke whatever they are smoking please

Posted by: what bubble? at February 12, 2007 2:46 PM

Wow. 11 months ago the seller couldn't get the asking price of $750K. All the flipper had to do was shovel all the crap left in the house into a dumpster.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 2:53 PM

fixer upper is an understatement! I've been in that house and it was truly fabulous. That said, it had some serious structural issues, serious layout issues, serious living issues- you nme it, it had an issue. The basement was a wreck, there was an anormous of water damage there and in other parts of the house, the front wall was sagging (although from the picture this may have been shored up), and at least 5 dumpsters worth of junk. No kitchen to speak of - the 60's era (?)kitchen had been in the basement and badly damamged by water. No longer usuable ( or even entering). the ones upstairs all needed gut rehabs. Same for the bathrooms, but if i remember correctly there was a wonderful upstairs bathromm that had one of those full body showers, but it looked later than the original period of the house. The huge bay on the side also should be shored up- the list was endless. One could easily spend at least 750,000 on renovation and structural work. Did I mention new heating and electrical and plumbing?

The house originally was asking over 900,000 and went for around 650,00. I think there were actually 2 flippers- one who was in construction and intending to renovate for himself and his family, and then the present one who is flipping the house. Not sure if I'm right about that.

But I did weep over this one- whata beauty- and I think it will sit for a long long time before it gets sold again. menwhile it will most likely continue to deteriorate.

Posted by: Bx2Bklyn at February 12, 2007 3:09 PM

I found some interior pix I took at the open house. I'll send some over to Mr.Brownstone and let him post at his discretion.

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 3:17 PM

Bring them on!

Posted by: brownstoner at February 12, 2007 3:25 PM

good job hal.

Posted by: what bubble? at February 12, 2007 4:15 PM

When we looked at it way back then, we thought it would make a great B&B. The front entrance is incredible and we couldn't figure out a way of splitting it into apartments without chopping up that hallway. If we had the money, we would've bought it. Sigh...I wish you hadn't brought that up.

Posted by: yente at February 12, 2007 4:36 PM

I'm so upset right, we actually were in the process of buying this house and put in a full bid of 750K with 10% down and the broker then at the time, Jac'Qui Weekes of Flateau Realty never got back to us. I'm filing a complaint, anyone know how to go about doing this? Mr. B, I have pictures also, just have to find them. What an outrage!!

Posted by: Anonymous at February 12, 2007 4:44 PM

In the interest of full disclosure, the photos posted (other than the facade) are not current. They were taken during that Flateau showing mentioned above by others. I think it was a year and a half ago or two. Everybody had a blast guessing how many 40 yard dumpsters would be needed to clear it out. Nice to know one poster above stayed and counted. ;-)

Posted by: Hal at February 12, 2007 5:33 PM

For $1.5 mil in Crown Heights, I am not bringing my own architect.

Posted by: Anonymous at February 12, 2007 5:45 PM

I wanted this place, too, and had actually drawn up a business plan to turn it into a B&B. Yente - I always thought we'd get along. I went down to the DOB and pulled the folder. The house was owned in the 30's by a doctor (it is on Doctor's Row)who used the entire parlour floor for his practice. His family lived on the top 2 floors, and had a new kitchen put in on the third floor. That's why that large complete kitchen with all the cabinets (what's left of it, anyway) is on the third floor. They also replaced the original fireplace with an electric one, and they walled off the round stained glass window seen on the exterior from the rest of the house. They also had the rather cool shower and master bathroom put in on the top floor.

I also found the original letter to the first owner authorizing the building of the billiards room on the ground floor. (An incredible room under all the crap). The entire rest of the ground floor is unihabitable, and some of it, beyond where the second photo above is, was so bad, no one could even get to it, let alone go back there. No one had been back there in years, I was told. The floor was gone, and the plywood was so spongey, it felt like you were on a diving board.

Alas, I had an architect and his engineer behind me, but I couldn't convince any lending institution to go with it. Hal, Yente, Bx2Bklyn and others did not exaggerate the amount of mess and damage that place had. The first time I saw it, one of the people in my group literally ran out of the house looking like he was going to be sick.

But if one had the money......., piles of money, what a showplace it would be. I hope whoever gets it, and it certainly won't be for a mill 5, doesn't try to make 4 floor throughs. The center stairway and configuration of the house doesn't lend itself to it unless you destroy the beauty of the house.

I have a ton of pix of this place, too. I really wanted to buy it, and really regret that I couldn't. In spite of the structural damage, and the mess and the work, she was a beauty.

Posted by: Crown Heights Proud at February 12, 2007 8:35 PM

Sorry, stained glass window is not round, but is right above the front door.

This house still upsets me. The windows in the turret were still the original curved glass. The frames let in drafts the size of monsoons, but it was still the original curved glass windows......sigh. They even had curved ornate radiators on the top floor in the turret. You should see the built-ins. Argh!!! Why did this have to come back to haunt us?

Oak coffered ceiling, oak panelling for days..........billiard room completely panelled in oak. Magnificent built in cabinet, huge window seat below that stained glass bay in the first picture.....

Posted by: Crown Heights Proud at February 12, 2007 8:48 PM

Ok, if we pool our money (I have about $10 left after my renovation), maybe we can buy it together, renovate it ourselves (I know you're DIY also, CHP) and open a B&B. Who's in?! Where's Shahn when you need him?

Posted by: yente at February 12, 2007 9:22 PM

Ha! I'm with you, Yente, too bad we didn't meet at one of the open houses for the place and connect. I'm also jealous that you have $10 left over.
;>)

Posted by: Crown Heights Proud at February 12, 2007 11:54 PM

I have 15$ in my savings account you can have! Seriously- i wish there was a way to do it. A B&B seems to be the only way to use the whole house without redoing the entryway. Or a commune because to reconfigure the entry and staircase would be a crime. Now to relive the heartbreak again of seeing that wonderful old house and hoping the right person buys it.

Posted by: Bx2Bklyn at February 13, 2007 12:42 AM

FYI- the lovely space in the photo just above the gorgeous triple window is what used to be the kitchen ( form the 70's I think.) Once water damamge rendered it unusable, they used the room for storing whatever.

Posted by: Bx2Bklyn at February 13, 2007 12:45 AM

All right you guys, I'm in! 888 Park Place may still be available and would also make a gorgeous B&B.

Posted by: Hal at February 13, 2007 9:43 AM

« All-or-Nothing Brownstone Rental in Slope Monday On The Record »

February 12, 2007

House of the Day: Crown Heights Grand Dame

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